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THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT 


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https://archive.org/details/pearloforientphi01brow_0 


ADMIRAL  GEORGE  DEWEY. 


THE  PEARL  OE  THE 
ORIENT 

THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


BY 

G.  WALDO  BROWNE 

AUTHOR  OF  “ TAVO  AlIEEICAX  BOYS  IX  HAIVAII,”  “THE  WOOD- 
RANGER,”  “the  PARADISE  OF  THE  PACIFIC,”  ETC. 


Ellustratct) 


BOSTON 

DANA  ESTES  & COMPANY 


PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  /goo 

By  Dana  Estes  and  Company 


ffiolonfal  press 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  & Co. 
Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP. 

I. 

The  Philippine  Islands 

PAGE 

1 

II. 

The  People  of  the  Philippines  . 

. 20 

m. 

The  Animal  Kingdom  . 

. 35 

IV. 

Spanish  Discovery  and  Dominion 

. 45 

v. 

Kivalry  of  Church  and  State  . 

. 57 

VI. 

Colonial  Wars  .... 

. 70 

VII. 

Resources  and  Commerce  . 

85 

VIII. 

Most  Xoted  Towns 

. 104 

IX. 

Struggles  for  Liberty 

. 116 

X. 

America  in  the  Orient 

. 131 

457094 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Admiral  George  Dewey  . . . Frontispiece 

Native  Village,  Island  of  Negros  ...  1 

River  Scene  on  Mindanao 2 

Volcano  of  Apo 4 

Volcano  of  Mayon,  Luzon 5 

Looking  up  Pasig  River  at  Pretil  just  above 

Manila  ........  6 

Bamboo  Bridge,  Iloilo  ......  8 

Bamboo  Yard  ........  9 

Construction  of  a Philippino  House  ...  10 

Native  Houses  .......  12 

Village  on  Mindanao  ...  ...  14 

General  View  of  Iloilo  . ....  16 

Manila  Street,  Rainy  Season  ....  17 

Manila  Street,  Rainy  Season  ....  18 

Types  of  Malays 20 

Negritos 22 

Native  "Warrior  from  Interior  of  Mindanao  . 24 

Philippino  Fruit  Girl  ......  26 

A Wealthy  Half  - caste  Philippino  Lady  . . 28 

Mestizos 29 

SuLU  Prau 30 

ix 


45*7094 


X LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Sultan  of  Sulu  Interviewing  European  Visitors  32 

Mohammed,  Sultan  of  Sulu 33 

Igorrotes 34 

Boar 36 

Carabaos  Transporting  Army  Stores  . . 38 

Street  - cars  in  Manila 40 

Young  Wild  Goat 42 

Peacock 43 

Calao  Bird 44 

Merchant  Vessels  near  Bridge  of  Spain,  Pa- 
sig River 46 

Village  of  Bahele,  Palawan  ....  48 

Oldest  Church  in  Manila 50 

Arsenal  at  Puerto  Princessa,  Palawan  . . 52 

Philippino  Girl 54 

Drawbridge  and  Gate  of  Old  City  ...  56 

Old  Stone  Bridge  near  Manila  ...  58 

A Tagalo  Bungalow  in  Luzon  ....  60 

Church  and  Square  at  Malolos  ...  62 

Spanish  Priest  .......  64 

Manila  Street,  Rainy  Season  ....  66 

Sentry  on  the  Wall  of  the  Old  City  . . 68 

Native  Boats  on  Pasig  above  Bridge  of  Spain  70 

Cavite  Arsenal  and  Shipyard  ....  72 

Bathing  Place  at  Manila  . . . . . 74 

Square  and  Railway  Station,  Manila  . . 76 

A Tagalo  Family  out  for  a Drive  in  a Car- 

ETELA  .........  78 

Travel  in  Rainy  Season 82 

Volcano  of  Apo 84 

Scene  in  Bulacan 86 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  xi 

PAGE 

Plantation  on  Mindanao 88 

iSTative  Huts,  Puerto  Princessa,  Palawan  . 90 

Cigar  Dealer  ........  92 

Street  in  Old  Manila  ......  94 

Train  on  Manila  and  Dagupin  Railway  . . 96 

Manila  and  Dagupin  Railway  Station  . . 98 

Governor’s  Palace,  Manila 104 

Street  in  Business  Section  of  Manila  . . 106 

Tillage  in  the  Suburbs  of  Manila  . . . 108 

Cavite  Arsenal  .......  110 

Social  Entertainment  under  Spanish  Regime  112 

Philippine  Schoolhouse 114 

Tillage  of  Olas  Pinas,  on  Outskirts  of  Manila  116 

Dagaupan,  Rio  Horno 118 

SuLU  Woman 120 

A Native  of  Malabon  and  His  Family  . . 122 

Emilio  Aguinaldo  .......  124 

Cannon  Used  by  Insurgents  in  1899  . . . 126 

Sentry  Post  on  the  Luneta  Road  . . . 128 

Aguinaldo’s  Family  and  Relatives  . . . 130 

Scene  in  Suburbs  of  Manila  ....  132 

U.  S.  S.  Olympia 134 

U.  S.  S.  Baltimore 136 

The  Battle  of  Manila  Bay  .....  138 

Ma.jor  - General  ITesley  Merritt  . . . 140 

General  Augusti 142 

General  Otis  ........  144 

Group  of  Insurgent  Officers  ....  146 

F.  Agoncillo,  Envoy  of  Insurgents  . . . 148 

Insurgents'  Capitol  at  Malolos,  1899  . . 150 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 

A /TANY  geologists  believe  that  a vast  conti- 
nent,  rivalling  in  area  any  now  existing, 
once  extended  from  New  Zealand  on  the  south 
to  the  Mariana  (Ladrones)  and  Hawaiian  Islands 
on  the  north ; from  the  most  eastern  of  the  Poly- 
nesian Islands  to  the  China  and  Suhi  Seas  on 
the  west.  According  to  this  theory,  the  islands 
of  the  South  Sea,  including  the  extensive  Archi- 
pelago of  the  Philippines,  are  the  uplifted  moun- 
tain peaks  and  highlands  of  the  submerged 
hemisphere.  Granting  the  plausibility  of  this 
assertion,  the  evidence  remains  that  a large  per- 
centage of  these  islands  are  of  coral  or  volcanic 
formation.  Those  under  consideration  belona: 
largely  to  the  latter  class. 


5 


THE  PEAEL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


So  little  is  actually  known  of  the  entire  Pacific 
coast,  that  only  an  approximate  estimate  can  be 
given  of  the  size  and  situation  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  variously  supposed  to  number  from  six 
to  twelve  hundred.  A conservative  calculation 
places  the  land  area  at  a little  less  than  115,000 
square  miles,  equal  to  the  State  of  Arizona,  or 
nearly  the  same  as  the  combined  areas  of  the  six 
New  England  States  and  New  York.  This  col- 
lection of  fragmentary  lands,  lying  to  the  south- 
east of  Asia,  extends  from  4°  45"  to  20°  38" 
north  latitude,  a distance  of  over  a thousand 
miles  ; and  from  117°  to  126°  east  longitude,  or 
six  hundred  miles  east  and  west. 

The  entire  surface  of  the  numerous  islands  is 
broken,  and  the  coast-line  irregular,  the  seas 
cutting  in  and  making  frequent  bays,  gulfs, 
isthmuses  and  peninsulas.  The  only  plains  are 
to  be  found  along  the  rivers  near  their  mouths, 
except  the  intervales  between  the  mountains, 
which  are  inclined  to  trend  north  and  south. 
These  lowlands  are  rich  with  the  alluvial  deposits 
of  ages.  Between  the  islands  are  long  stretches 
of  canals  and  passages,  though  not  many  of 
them  are  navigable.  Owing  to  the  existence  of 


Vn>LAGE,  ISLAXK  OF  NEOKOS. 


KIVKJ^  SCENE  ON  MINOANAO. 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANB8. 


3 


volcanic  fires  and  tlie  occasional  overflow  of  hot 
water  from  the  boilers  of  these  mountain  furnaces, 
coral  growth  is  uncommon,  although  nearly  all 
of  the  other  islands  in  the  South  Pacific  abound 
in  its  formation. 

The  principal  islands  are  twelve  in  number, 
in  size  and  situation  as  follows,  according  to  the 
Spanish  official  returns  : Luzon,  the  most  north- 
erly, and  containing  the  capital  of  the  Archi- 
pelago, Manila,  having  an  area  of  41,000  square 
miles,  equal  to  the  State  of  Ohio  ; Mindanao,  the 
most  southerly,  with  an  extent  of  37,600  miles, 
a trifle  larger  than  the  State  of  Indiana ; Sa- 
mar, on  the  central  east,  5,300  miles  in  area ; 
Panay,  near  the  centre  of  the  group,  4,600  miles  ; 
Palawan  (Paragua),  a long  strip  on  the  south- 
west, 4,100  miles  ; Mindoro,  on  the  central  west, 
4,050  miles ; Leyte,  3,090  miles  ; Negros,  2,300 
miles ; Cebu,  1,650,  Masbate,  1,318,  Bohol,  925, 
Cantanduanes,  450  square  miles  each.  The  two 
first  named  are  probably  as  large  as  all  the  others 
combined. 

Everjrwhere  is  seen  the  evidence  of  the  vol- 
canic formation  of  the  islands,  and  a continual 
change  in  the  topography  of  some  of  them  is  yet 


4 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


going  on  with  surprising  rapidity.  Open  water 
now  exists  where  a few  years  since  were  inhabited 
islands.  On  the  other  hand,  habitable  lands  now 
rise  above  the  surface  of  the  sea  where  not  long 
ago  the  brown-skinned  boatman  plied  his  slight 
craft  along  an  uninterrupted  course.  Many  of 
the  islands,  taking  Cebu  for  an  example,  wear 
yet  their  caps  of  lunestoue,  indisputable  proof  of 
their  birth  in  the  sea.  On  others  are  the  cones 
of  extinct  volcanoes,  lava  beds,  and  the  boiling 
geysers,  living  reminders  of  those  days  when  the 
ocean  for  thousands  of  miles  was  lighted  by  these 
internal  furnaces.  Nor  are  all  of  the  volcanoes 
burned  out,  as  witness  that  giant  Apo  on  the 
island  of  Mindanao,  with  an  estimated  height  of 
over  ten  thousand  feet ; on  Negros  the  Canloon, 
measuring  over  eight  thousand  feet,  while  the 
active  volcano,  Mayon,  on  Luzon,  is  the  grandest 
specimen,  rising  to  a summit  of  eight  thousand 
and  two  hundred  feet.  The  latter  has  a per- 
fect cone  in  constant  activity,  its  last  eruption 
having  taken  place  in  1888.  The  premium  of 
damage  done  within  the  history  of  man,  however, 
belongs  to  Taal,  which  lies  in  the  midst  of  a 
fresh-water  lake,  thirty-four  miles  south  of 


I 


VOLCANO  OF  APO. 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


5 


Manila,  tliougli  sixty  as  it  is  reached  by 
travel. 

This  famous  volcano  has  been  active  from 
time  immemorial,  and  its  history  is  as  closely 
associated  with  the  island  as  Vesuvius  is  with 
the  fortunes  of  Naples.  During  the  eighteenth 
century  no  less  than  five  noteworthy  eruptions 
occurred,  the  most  startling  of  them  being  in 
1754,  when  the  town  of  Taal  was  entirely  de- 
stroyed and  several  other  places  suffered  seri- 
ously. Property  fifteen  miles  away  was  laid  in 
ruins,  and  fljdng  cinders  fell  in  Manila.  The 
outbreak  lasted  for  eight  days,  which  were  as 
dark  as  midnight,  so  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
distant  capital  dined  at  midday  with  lighted 
lamp,  and.  plodded  blindly  along  the  streets 
amazed  and  terrified,  believing  that  the  end  of 
the  world  had  come.  The  smell  of  sulphur  and 
decaying  debris  lasted  for  six  months,  when  such 
a malignant  fever  followed  as  to  carry  off  half  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  province.  The  road  from 
Taal  to  Balayan  was  impassable  on  account  of 
the  lava,  and  the  town  which  had  been  the  capi- 
tal was  destroyed  with  all  the  government  build- 
ings. Batangas,  on  the  coast,  then  became  the 


6 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


centre  of  government.  The  eruption  continued 
for  six  months  and  seventeen  days.  At  its  last 
explosion  this  volcano  blew  off  its  head,  and  now 
stands  less  than  nine  hundred  feet  in  height,  the 
lowest  active  volcano  in  the  world. 

The  Palawan  group  on  the  southwest  is  free 
from  volcanic  signs  and  from  earthquakes. 

Besides  the  volcanic  cones  and  peaks,  there 
are  many  mountains,  some  of  respectable  height, 
among  them  being  Mt.  Halcon,  on  the  island  of 
Mindoro,  8,900  feet ; San  Cristobal,  Luzon,  7,400 
feet ; Isarog,  Luzon,  6,424  feet ; Giting  Giting, 
Sibuyan,  6,642  feet;  Banajao,  Luzon,  7,333  feet. 
The  mountains  of  this  class  are  generally  covered 
with  magnificent  forests  of  stately  trees,  set  off 
with  the  rich  foliage  of  the  tropics  and  the 
bright-coloured  flora  of  a sunny  clime.  Excep- 
tions to  this  are  the  bare  crowns  of  Mt.  Halcon 
'and  Giting  Giting,  the  two  like  grim  giants 
standing,  amid  broad  vistas  of  tropical  country, 
teeming  with  the  prodigal  gifts  of  a nature  which 
knows  no  bounds  to  its  rare  bounties,  with  un- 
covered heads.  Like  many  of  the  other  islands 
of  the  South  Seas,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  dis- 
penser of  earth’s  gifts  let  slip  here  the  string 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


7 


from  his  horn  of  plenty  to  make  this  a modern 
Eden. 

Rivers  and  small  streams  are  niimerons 
throughout  the  islands,  many  of  the  larger  being 
navigable.  Among  these  are  the  Rio  Pasig, 
which  has  its  source  in  the  Bay  Lagoon,  and 
after  flowing  nineteen  miles  discharges  its  water 
into  Manila  Bay.  The  largest,  the  Rio  Grande 
de  Caayan,  rising  in  the  mountains  of  Eastern 
Luzon,  flows  nearly  the  length  of  the  island,  or 
two  hundred  miles,  and  falls  into  the  China  Sea. 
It  annually  overflows  its  banks,  and  along  its 
course,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Pasig,  are  found 
some  of  the  richest  tobacco  districts  in  the 
islands.  The  Rio  de  Grande  de  la  Pampanga  is 
another  noticeable  stream,  threading  great  tracts 
of  forests,  extensive  flelds  of  rice  and  plantations 
of  sugar  cane,  thrifty  villages  and  towns,  in  the 
fertile  and  beautiful  valley  which  gives  it  its 
name,  and  after  a pleasure  trip  of  thirty-eight 
miles  enters  Manila  Bay  by  twenty  creeks.  The 
Rio  Augusan,  longer  than  any  of  them,  cuts 
Mindanao  Island  almost  in  twain,  though  navi- 
gable for  less  than  four  miles.  The  Abra,  rising 
in  the  slopes  opposite  to  the  Agno  Grande,  after 


8 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


a race  of  nearly  ninety  miles  over  the  sand-bars 
of  Butao,  Nioig,  and  Dile,  surrenders  its  floods 
to  the  China  Sea.  There  are  many  others  more 
or  less  known. 

There  are  several  hundreds  of  islands  in  the 
Archipelago  covered  with  thousands  of  square 
miles  of  tropical  forests,  abundant  with  valuable 
woods,  such  as  cedar,  ebony,  ironwood,  mahogany, 
logwood,  sapan-Wood,  gum-trees,  and  fifty  other 
kinds  of  woods  unknown  in  America.  In  certain 
localities  gutta-percha  is  found,  while  in  others 
is  the  cocos  nucifera,  every  part  of  which,  includ- 
ing trunk,  branches,  leaves,  fruit,  shell,  and  husk, 
has  a value.  Bamboo  and  areca  palm  are  com- 
mon and  of  great  utility.  The  hanave  and  ma- 
lave  are  two  woods  prized  for  their  properties 
of  resisting  the  action  of  water  for  centuries. 

The  most  attractive  and,  next  to  the  cocoanut- 
palm,  most  useful  tree  is  the  bamboo,  growing 
on  the  plains,  along  the  banks  of  rivers,  under 
the  shadows  of  boundless  forests,  around  the 
homes  of  the  natives,  in  fact  everywhere  except 
in  marshes  and  on  the  hills.  With  light,  feathery 
crests  that  sway  gracefully  in  the  slightest  breeze, 
the  more  majestic  rising  to  the  very  dignified 


BAMllOO  BRIDGE,  ILOILO. 


Tif-B  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


9 


height  of  fifty  feet,  they  give  a matchless  charm 
to  the  forest  scene.  Their  slender  trunks  set  in 
joints,  each  section  strengthened  by  an  inside 
web,  present  an  odd  array  of  forest  pillars  as 
seen  in  a collection  of  any  size.  Besides  these 
there  are  many  smaller  varieties,  which  the  na- 
tives cultivate  for  the  young  shoots  that  always 
command  a good  price  in  the  market.  Bamboo 
is  a great  building  material  in  the  construction 
of  huts,  houses,  and  even  churches,  and  from  it 
are  made  the  mats,  chairs,  baskets,  vessels  for 
holding  liquors,  measures  for  grain,  in  short, 
every  kmd  of  household  utensil  needed,  organs 
and  musical  instruments  in  general,  while  outside 
it  is  made  into  carts  to  move  merchandise,  rafts 
to  fioat  on  the  rivers,  palings  for  carrying  poles, 
blow-pipes,  for  furnaces,  hats  to  be  worn  on  the 
head  of  its  mgenious  worker,  until  it  seems  to 
be  in  everything  small  and  great,  the  most  valu- 
able of  all  in  building  bridges  hundreds  of  feet  in 
length  and  so  strong  that  a drove  of  buffaloes 
can  pass  safely  over  it.  The  leaves  are  eaten  by 
horses  and  cattle,  and  its  tender  shoots  by  man. 
In  a certain  variety  of  the  cane  is  found  a stone 
which  the  native  believes  is  a panacea  for  many 


10 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


evils  of  the  flesh.  In  another  kind  is  a sticky 
substance  good  for  inflammation  of  the  eyes, 
which  is  very  prevalent  under  the  rays  of  the 
torrid  sun. 

If  not  applied  to  as  many  uses  as  the  bamboo, 
the  cocoanut-palm  is  of  greater  value,  it  being 
the  leading  source  of  income  to  the  native  in- 
habitants. Plantations  of  these  trees  are  found 
scattered  all  over  the  Archipelago.  The  fruit  is 
always  in  demand  for  the  foreign  market,  and, 
as  with  the  bamboo,  every  part  of  the  tree  is 
utilised.  From  its  smooth  body  the  native  con- 
structs the  framework  of  liis  dwellings,  covers  it 
with  its  leaves,  and  furnishes  it  with  chairs,  di- 
vans, and  tables  made  from  its  wood.  The  mats 
upon  which  he  sleeps,  the  brushes  that  he  uses, 
are  made  from  its  fibres.  From  its  nuts  he  gets 
his  meat,  and  a drink  called  out  of  courtesy  milk, 
which  becomes  a good  vinegar  if  left  to  become 
acid,  while  from  the  shells  of  these  he  carves  his 
household  utensils.  From  its  sap  he  obtains  an 
oil  which  is  indispensable  at  home  and  in  great 
demand  abroad.  In  the  temperate  climate  it 
becomes  a solid,  and  is  converted  into  soap  and 
candles.  On  the  islands  it  remains  in  a thinner 


CONSTRUCTION  OF  A PIHLIPIMNO  HOUSE. 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


11 


state,  and  is  used  for  lighting  his  home,  cooking 
his  food,  and  is  an  excellent  lubricating  sub- 
stance for  machinery.  In  that  land  of  perpetual 
fear  of  an  outbreak  from  an  earthquake,  the 
matter  of  light  is  of  no  small  importance.  In 
every  hut  and  house  a small  vessel  is  partially 
filled  with  water,  on  which  a quantity  of  cocoanut 
oil  is  poured,  and  a wick  fioating  on  top  is  lighted 
and  kept  burning  from  twilight  until  dawn,  a 
tiny  firefly  lamp,  but  very  useful  at  the  least 
warning  of  danger.  Besides  all  this,  obtaining 
from  its  flowering  stalk  a delicious  beverage  he 
calls  tuba,  and  clothing  his  body  from  raiment 
made  of  its  fine  fibrous  particles,  the  Philippino 
owes  his  undying  allegiance  to  his  beloved  palm. 

An  exceedingly  useful  and  common  plant  is 
the  bejuco,  or  rattan,  a sort  of  bush  rope,  which 
has  been  known  to  grow  to  the  great  length  of 
one  thousand  feet.  It  is  nothing  unusual  to  find 
a specimen  three  or  four  hundred  feet  long. 
The  application  of  this  plant  is  almost  as  numer- 
ous as  that  of  the  bamboo,  and  it  is  often  used 
in  conjunction  with  the  other.  It  is  the  natural 
cord  with  which  to  bind  together  whatever  has 
become  broken  or  needs  putting  together  in  the 


12 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


home,  on  the  plantation,  in  the  street  or  forest, 
shop  or  warehouse.  The  thickest  is  used  for 
making  rafts  and  cables,  and  with  the  bamboo 
helps  to  make  suspension  bridges.  It  has  deli- 
cate fibres  out  of  which  cloths  are  woven  and 
hats  made. 

Among  the  fruits  the  mango  ranks  first.  It 
grows  from  four  to  six  inches  in  length,  is  oval 
shaped,  flattened  on  both  sides,  and  yellow  in 
colour  when  ripe.  It  has  a large  stone  in  the 
centre,  and  the  meat  is  rich  and  delicious.  The 
tree  grows  to  great  size,  a majestic  specimen  of 
the  wealthy  woods  in  its  dark  green  foliage,  and 
especially  beautiful  during  its  flowering  period. 
It  is  nothing  unusual  to  get  three  pickings  of 
fruit  during  a year,  and  two  are  the  rule. 

The  banana  grows  wild  and  is  cultivated  with 
profit,  there  being  as  many  as  fifty  varieties. 
The  banana  [Musa  paradisiaca),  according  to  a 
Arabic  legend,  is  believed  to  be  the  plantain 
from  which  Adam  and  Eve  made  their  aprons, 
as  well  as  having  been  the  forbidden  fruit  of 
Eden. 

The  papaw  tree  also  grows  wild  here.  This 
attains  a height  of  twenty-five  feet,  and  has 


•SMsnon  5IAIXVN: 


f''.. 


i 


'll 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


13 


leaves  from  two  to  three  feet  in  length.  The 
fruit,  of  a deep  olive-green  until  ripe,  when  it  is 
yellow,  is  in  shape  and  flavour  like  the  melon, 
very  delicious  in  its  native  land.  Guavas  are 
found  wild  in  great  abundance,  while  tamarinds, 
with  a fruit  resembling  beans,  abound  plentifully 
in  a wild  state.  There  is  also  a native  fruit, 
bearing  a delightful  aroma  but  flavourless,  which 
has  the  appearance  of  our  peach.  Pineapples 
grow  abundant  in  the  southern  islands,  but  the 
fruit  is  not  as  fine  as  in  other  countries,  and, 
being  dangerous  to  eat  in  that  climate,  is  not 
cultivated,  except  for  its  leaves,  which  have  deli- 
cate fibres  utilised  in  the  manufacture  of  a costly 
texture  known  as  •pina  and  worn  very  much  by 
the  women  of  the  wealthy  class. 

Two  kinds  of  lemons,  the  Pomelo  orange,  of 
very  large  size,  and  two  or  three  smaller  varie- 
ties, the  custard  apple,  citron,  breadfruit,  straw- 
berry of  an  inferior  size  and  quality,  with  other 
fruits  peculiar  to  the  tropics,  all  flourish  here. 
The  durien,  about  the  size  of  the  common  pine- 
apple and  delicious  eating,  but  bearing  only 
once  in  twenty  years,  thrives  in  the  western 
islands. 


14 


THE  PEABL  OF  THE  OBIENT. 


Numerous  plants  and  herbs  of  medicinal  value 
grow  almost  everywhere,  the  most  commonly 
used  remedy  being  the  bark  of  the  dita  tree, 
which  is  used  by  the  natives  in  case  of  fever. 
From  this  is  obtained  an  alkaloid  called  ditaine, 
which  resembles  in  a mild  degree  quinine.  From 
the  flowers  of  the  ylang-ylang  is  extracted  a 
highly  prized  perfume. 

The  flora  of  the  islands  is  rich  in  variety  and 
magnitude.  A general  description  of  this,  any 
more  than  that  of  the  forests,  cannot  do  it  jus- 
tice, or  convey  to  the  imaginary  beholder  but  a 
slight  portion  of  the  exquisite  pleasure  of  him 
who  gazes  on  the  virginal  landscape  basking 
under  the  magical  influences  of  a tropical  climate. 
On  the  island  of  Mindanao,  which  means  “ Man 
of  the  Lake,”  grows  the  largest  known  flower, 
which  is  often  from  three  to  four  feet  in  diameter. 
The  Philippines  have  few,  if  any,  of  the  barren 
lava  plains  of  Hawaii ; none  of  the  bare,  desolate 
shores  of  northern  coasts ; but  from  the  great 
storehouse  of  natural  treasures  of  Luzon,  the 
largest  and  richest  of  these  pearls  of  the  Pacific, 
to  the  hundreds  of  smaller  gems,  all  resplendent 
in  a vegetation  which  clothes  not  only  the  plains 


-'Jf 


'i 


I 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


15 


and  the  lowlands  but  the  mountains  and  the  sea- 
shores with  a verdure  of  many  hues  and  never- 
fadmg  gloss,  here  the  florist  flnds  his  paradise, 
and  the  botanist  his  wonderland. 

The  staple  food  raised  is  rice,  though  in  some 
localities  maize  holds  this  a good  second.  Pota- 
toes, peas,  and  wheat  are  cultivated  successfully 
on  the  highlands.  So  rapidly  do  crops  grow  and 
mature  that  it  is  a common  sight  to  see  three 
stages  of  growth  existing  on  the  same  plot  of 
land,  the  planting,  cultivating,  and  harvesting 
going  on  in  alternation  accordingly  as  the  work 
had  been  begun. 

The  extensive  coast  lines  of  the  islands  afford 
many  good  harbours,  the  best  known  of  which  are 
Manila  and  Sual,  on  the  west  shore  of  Luzon ; 
Iloilo  and  Cebu,  the  ports  of  cities  by  those  names 
situated  respectively  on  the  east  side  of  the 
islands  of  Panay  and  Cebu.  The  first  named  is 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  world,  and  is  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  circumference.  In 
stormy  weather  safe  anchorage  is  to  be  had  off 
Cavite,  about  eight  miles  by  water  to  the  south- 
west, which  place  has  become  noted  as  the  scene 
of  Admiral  Dewey’s  first  victory  in  the  capture 


16 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


of  tlie  capital.  Iloilo,  next  in  importance,  is 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  a direct 
line  from  Manila.  Studded  with  bays  and  creeks 
forming  natural  harbours,  still  the  western  coasts 
of  Cebu,  Negros,  Mindoro,  and  the  Palawan 
Islands  have  no  safe  anchorages  for  any  but 
small  craft,  the  water  being  shallow,  with  many 
dangerous  reefs. 

While  some  of  the  streams  reach  the  sea  at 
fiat  or  swampy  places  through  many  mouths, 
others  have  cut  their  way  through  passages  down 
precipitous  hillsides,  making  deep,  narrow  defiles 
with  steep  banks  not  unlike  the  picturesque  fjords 
of  Norway,  only  here,  instead  of  naked  cliffs  of 
rocks,  are  earth-cliffs  clothed  with  the  glossy 
foliage  of  a vegetation  favoured  with  the  warmth 
and  moisture  of  the  equatorial  zone. 

Owing  to  the  great  length  of  the  group,  which 
extends  from  within  about  four  degrees  of  the 
Equator  to  within  the  same  distance  of  the  Tropic 
of  Cancer,  the  islands  have  considerable  variety 
of  climate,  though  without  losing  its  tropical 
influences.  The  Spanish  ironically  described  the 
seasons  as  “ six  months  of  mud,  six  months  of 
dust,  six  months  of  everything  ! ” In  fact,  there 


GENEItAL  VIEW  OF  ILOILO. 


L 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


17 


are  what  are  denominated  the  “ wet  ” and  “ dry  ” 
periods,  with  a gradual  change  from  one  to  the 
other.  Takmg  the  vicinity  of  Manila  as  an  ex- 
ample, the  hottest  season  is  from  March  to  June, 
the  highest  temperature  coming  in  the  month  of 
May,  before  the  rainy  season  sets  in.  The  ther- 
mometer then  registers  from  80  to  100  degrees 
in  the  shade.  The  coolest  time  is  in  December 
and  January,  when  the  temperature  stands  from 
60  to  65  degrees  at  night,  and  seldom  above  75 
in  the  daytime.  From  November  to  February 
the  sky  is  bright,  the  atmosphere  cool  and  invig- 
orating, the  weather  delightful. 

The  northern  islands  lie  in  the  track  of  the 
typhoons  which  sweep  over  the  China  Sea,  and 
may  be  expected  any  time  between  May  and 
November,  being  the  most  frequent  during  July, 
August,  and  September.  In  1875  a storm  of 
this  kind  destroyed  nearly  four  thousand  houses 
and  killed  three  hundred  people.  Earthquakes 
are  of  common  occurrence,  and  often  do  vast 
amounts  of  damage  to  property  and  cause  many 
deaths.  One  in  1863  destroyed  the  larger  part 
of  Manila,  and  killed  or  injured  over  three  thou- 
sand of  the  inhabitants. 


18 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


During  the  heavy  rains  the  rivers  are  swollen 
so  as  to  overflow  their  banks,  and  the  lakes  over- 
run the  surrounding  country,  the  floods  often 
doing  great  damage.  A tidal  wave  in  1897 
swept  over  the  island  of  Leyte,  causing  extensive 
destruction  of  life  and  property.  The  rainfall  at 
Manila  averages  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  inches  a year,  while  in  the  southern 
portion  of  the  Archipelago  the  medium  is  one 
hundred  and  forty-two  inches,  or  almost  twelve 
feet.  From  local  reasons  considerable  difference 
is  often  known,  and  the  earth  of  one  island  may 
be  dry  and  parched  for  long  intervals,  while  an- 
other in  sight  may  be  deluged  with  rain.  A 
mountain  range  sometimes  makes  a great  varia- 
tion, while  those  of  the  Archipelago  bordering 
on  the  Pacific  have  a climate  quite  the  opposite 
of  those  next  the  Indian  Ocean.  If  one  cared, 
he  could  move  about  so  as  to  escape  the  rains 
altogether.  Though  fever,  malaria,  and  other 
diseases  peculiar  to  a tropical  clime  are  preva- 
lent, the  Philippines  are  not  as  unhealthy  as 
might  be  expected.  The  foreign-born  citizen 
finds  the  heat  very  oppressive,  and  under  its 
influence  he  soon  finds  his  northern  energy  slip- 


MANILA  STREET,  KAINA"  SEASON. 


MANILA  STREET,  RAINY  SEASON. 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


19 


ping  away  from  him.  Women  and  children  feel 
most  the  dangers  of  the  climate.  Still,  with 
good  sanitary  conditions  about  the  towns,  and  a 
clearing  away  of  large  tracts  of  the  dense  and 
malaria-breeding  forests,  the  Archipelago  will, 
no  doubt,  show  a far  better  health  condition. 

The  islands  have  been  aptly  termed  the  “ Pearl 
of  the  Orient,”  but  it  is  an  unpolished  jewel, 
which  only  American  energy  can  bring  to  its 
proper  lustre.  Their  geographical  position  being 
such  as  not  to  bring  them  in  the  direct  line  of 
communication  with  the  Far  East,  as  has  been 
the  case  with  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  the  Archi- 
pelago has  long  remained  unrevealed  to  the  rest 
of  the  world.  It  has  been  a realm  by  itself,  an 
object  of  strange  accounts  and  mysterious  tradi- 
tions even  as  known  at  Hong  Kong  six  hundred 
miles  away.  Here,  unknown  and  undreamed  of 
elsewhere,  have  been  enacted  over  and  over  some 
of  the  most  cruel  wrongs  and  darkest  tragedies 
in  the  checkered  drama  of  colonisation,  Spanish 
secrecy  and  resistance  to  progress  always  holding 
in  the  dark  this  land  of  the  distant  seas. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES. 

XTENDING  as  the  Archipelago  does  over 


a vast  extent  of  surface,  it  is  not  strange 
that  the  islands  are  inhabited  by  many  races  of 
people.  No  better  beginning  into  a description 
of  their  ethnological  relations  can  be  made  than 
by  dividing  them  into  four  distinct  races,  leav- 
ing for  further  consideration,  if  one  cares  to  con- 
tinue the  subject  to  completion,  nearly  a hundred 
subdivisions  and  tribes  of  mixed  blood.^ 

The  Aetas  or  Negritos  (“little  Negroes”), 
which  are  found  in  the  mountains  and  back- 
grounds of  every  peopled  island,  are  no  doubt 
the  descendants  of  the  original  inhabitants, — 
the  one  race  holding  supremacy  over  the  entire 
Archipelago  before  the  invasions  of  the  foreign 
element.  During  the  centuries  of  Spanish  occu- 

1 Such  readers  are  referred  to  Wallace’s  “ Malay  Archipelago.” 


20 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES.  21 


pation  they  have  changed  the  least  of  any  race, 
and  whether  it  was  Moslem,  Malay,  Chinese, 
Japanese,  or  Spaniard,  they  have  never  been 
conquered.  This  has  not  been  from  any  great 
prowess  as  warriors,  for  they  are  cowardly.  In- 
stead of  standing  up  in  a square  fight,  they 
retreat  to  the  dense  jungles,  and  from  behind 
breastworks  of  trees  shoot  down  with  poisoned 
arrows  whoever  has  attempted  to  invade  their 
rendezvous.  As  the  tide  of  civilisation  ap- 
proached, they  retreated  into  the  darker  depths 
of  the  wilderness.  This  situation  has  existed 
longer  than  written  history  can  show. 

The  Negrito  is  dark-skinned,  many  of  them  as 
black  as  a true  Negro,  of  which  they  are  doubtless 
descended ; his  hair  is  short  and  curly ; he  is 
light  in  stature ; is  content  to  clothe  his  body 
in  a single  garment  made  of  the  bark  of  a tree 
and  covering  only  his  loins  ; he  is  a fieet  runner, 
and  can  climb  a tree  like  a monkey ; he  is  low 
in  intellect,  and  cannot  be  domesticated  to  an 
extent  which  will  make  him  a trusty  servant ; in 
religion  he  has  a sort  of  spirit  worship,  which 
teaches  him  to  be  respectful  to  his  friends  and 
reverential  to  the  dead.  The  man  is  far  from 


22 


THE  PEAEL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


good-looking,  thougli  hale  in  appearance  until  he 
begins  to  show  his  age,  which  is  early  in  life, 
when  he  soon  becomes  emaciated  in  person. 

The  woman  is  not  superior  to  the  man,  and 
is  satisfied  if  her  dress  is  simply  a short  skirt 
about  the  hips.  The  Negrito  maid,  with  her  flash- 
ing black  eyes,  and  coal-black,  closely  knotted 
hair,  and  well-rounded  figure,  is  picturesque  if 
not  pretty : but  the  matron  of  a few  years  later 
is  far  from  attractive. 

They  live  in  bamboo  huts,  and  subsist  mostly 
on  fish,  nuts,  and  mountain  rice,  alternated  with 
beef  when  they  can  find  a chance  to  steal  the 
cattle  of  the  planters.  They  make  a feint  at 
agriculture  by  scratching  the  surface  of  the 
ground  and  scattering  about  a little  seed.  If  it 
grows  it  means  more  rice  for  them ; if  it  fails, 
then  a little  more  stealing  will  be  required.  In 
this  respect  they  are  disagreeable  neighbours. 
The  whole  race  is  decreasing  slowly,  and  before 
the  advance  of  a progressive  civilisation  must 
eventually  fade  away. 

The  Negritos  were  formerly  masters  of  the 
island  of  Luzon,  and  held  power  over  the  Malays, 
who  came  first  about  eight  centuries  ago.  As 


NEGRITOS. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES.  23 


the  latter  race  increased,  they  were  forced  to 
retire  to  the  highlands  and  leave  to  their  usurpers 
the  valleys  and  rich  lowlands  along  the  coast.  So 
far  and  successfully  did  the  newcomers  spread 
out  that  to-day  their  descendants  number  not 
less  than  five  millions,  and  are  the  most  intelli- 
gent of  the  islanders.  According  to  tradition, 
their  early  ancestors  emigrated  from  the  Malay 
peninsula,  south  of  Asia,  and  first  settled  on 
some  of  the  larger  islands  to  the  east  of  the  con- 
tinent. They  found  already  there  the  Polynesian 
race,  but  these  latter,  unable  to  cope  with  them, 
escaped  to  the  smaller  islands  of  the  Pacific,  going 
as  far  north  as  Hawaii.  The  two  races  are  en- 
tirely distinct.  From  Sumatra,  Java,  and  other 
islands,  these  Malayans  eventually  reached  the 
Philippines,  settling  principally  on  the  two 
largest.  In  the  course  of  time  they  were  over- 
powered by  the  Spaniards,  whose  excessive  tyr- 
anny has  so  tempered  their  warlike  spirit  as  to 
make  the  present  Tagalogs  the  mildest  and  most 
submissive  of  the  semibarbarous  races. 

The  men  are  seldom  much  above  five  feet  in 
stature,  of  supple  figure,  bright  eyes,  high  cheek- 
bones, and  countenances  that  display  very  little 


24 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


personal  spirit  or  character.  The  richer  class 
dress  showily  in  trousers,  with  blouses  worn  out- 
side, both  garments  made  of  Manila  hemp,  or 
abaca.  Another  suit  of  silken  texture  is  made 
of  a fabric  woven  from  the  leaf  of  the  pineapple, 
and  called  pina.  Of  a white  or  vivid  yelloAv, 
this  is  often  interwoven  with  bine  or  green  silk, 
and  sometimes  embroidered  with  flowers.  They 
encase  their  feet  in  sandals  or  patent  leather 
shoes,  unless  the  owner  chooses  to  go  barefooted, 
which  is  not  considered  bad  form.  A hat  plaited 
from  the  7iito  or  liana,  ornamented  with  a wide 
band  of  embroidered  cloth,  or  fancy  work  in 
silver,  covers  the  head.  His  poorer  brother  imi- 
tates his  style,  but  his  clothes  are  made  of  a 
coarser  material,  and  there  is  more  likelihood 
that  his  feet  will  have  no  shoes. 

The  women  are  better  natured  and  more  viva- 
cious than  the  men,  but  as  a rule  are  not  pretty. 
Like  the  females  of  all  warm  climates,  they  have 
a tendency  to  obesity  as  they  grow  older,  though 
they  are  more  industrious  than  their  male  con- 
sorts. Bright  colours  delight  her,  a skirt  of 
burning  red,  with  a many-hued  undervest,  over 
which  is  worn  the  waist  of  silken  texture,  dark. 


'native  warrior  from  interior  of  MINDANAO. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES.  25 


and  ornamented  with  the  gay  and  beantifnl  pina, 
fringed  with  embroidery,  thrown  lightly  across 
the  shonlders.  The  raven  hair  falls  from  under 
a snowy  mantle,  while  the  toes,  but  not  the  in- 
step of  the  brown  foot,  are  encased  in  a heelless 
slipper.  The  Philippino  is  an  apt  scholar,  but 
indolent  by  nature  ; loves  music,  but  is  sadly 
lacking  many  of  the  finer  sensibilities  of  a higher 
civilisation.  Long  centuries  of  Spanish  oppres- 
sion leave  him  discontented  with  his  lot,  and 
ever  looking  for  an  opportunity  to  strike  a blow 
in  retaliation,  as  well  he  might  after  the  teach- 
ings along  such  lines  for  many  generations.  A 
voluntary  act  of  yielding  in  any  way  to  him, 
however  well  meant  the  intention,  is  looked  upon 
by  him  as  an  indication  of  weakness  on  the  part 
of  his  benefactor,  and  a fitting  opportunity  to 
move  on  the  aggressive.  The  Spaniards  long 
since  learned  this,  and  it  has  had  something  to 
do  with  their  relentless  measures. 

The  race  is  strong  in  family  affections,  loves 
children,  but  the  majority  are  superstitious  to  a 
great  degree,  though  the  only  people  on  the 
islands  who  have  the  credit  of  beino;  converted 
to  that  Christianity  spread  so  assiduously  by  the 


26 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


followers  of  Arneta,  the  pioneer  of  the  Catholic 
Church  in  the  Philippines.  Among  the  ideas  of 
their  original  religion  is  a belief  that  when  the 
person  is  asleep  his  soul  is  absent  from  his  body, 
and  to  awaken  a sleeper  suddenly  will  not  give 
the  spirit  time  to  return  to  its  proper  place.  The 
Philippino  has  been  described  on  the  whole  ‘‘  as 
an  incomprehensible  phenomenon,  the  mainspring 
of  whose  line  of  thought  and  the  guiding  motive 
of  whose  actions  have  never  yet  been,  and  per- 
haps never  will  be,  discovered.”  After  years  of 
apparent  faithfulness,  he  may,  without  any  valid 
reason,  turn  against  his  master,  hesitating  at  no 
crime.  This  trait  may  have  been  born  inherent 
in  him ; it  may  have  been  largely  acquired  from 
the  influences  surrounding  his  unhappy  life. 

Above  the  pure  native  in  intellect,  better  look- 
ing, more  interesting,  in  one  case  with  a higher 
grade  of  morality,  and  with  greater  influence  in 
business  and  politics,  are  two  classes  of  half- 
breeds,  or  mestizos.  The  first  and  better  element 
of  these  are  the  descendants  of  native  mothers 
who  married  Spanish  husbands.  This  is  really 
a fine  race,  though,  if  the  alliance  with  European 
blood  is  not  kept  up  beyond  one  generation,  the 


PHILIPPIXO  FKUIT  GIRL. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES.  27 


distinctive  traits  begin  to  fade  away.  As  a rule 
the  mestiza  girls  are  very  beautiful,  with  soft 
complexions,  white  teeth,  bewitching  black  eyes, 
graceful  deportment,  and  they  are  noted  as  fine 
dancers.  Many  of  them  are  educated  in  the 
convents,  and  have  good  musical  talent,  wliich 
is  everywhere  encouraged. 

The  second  class  of  mixed  bloods  are  of  Phi- 
lippino-Chinese  extraction,  native  mothers  and 
Chinese  fathers.  These  are  called  mestizos- 
Chinese,  and  the  men  of  this  race  are  among 
the  shrewdest  merchants  and  most  skilful  me- 
chanics, but  they  have  been  troublesome  factors 
in  the  affairs  of  government,  and  more  than  all 
other  classes  combined  have  been  instrumental 
in  the  revolts  and  uprisings  which  have  been  so 
frequent.  They  were  the  original  “rebels,” 
whom  others,  equally  dissatisfied  with  Spanish 
rule,  hesitated  to  join  in  a fight  for  freedom, 
fearing  them  more  than  the  Spaniards. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
or  just  before  the  Spanish  discovery  of  the 
islands,  a warlike,  piratical  people  overran  the 
island  of  Basilan,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Ar- 
chipelago, and  soon  spread  to  the  adjoining 


28 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


islands,  sweeping  them  clear  of  the  native  race 
wherever  they  went.  The  Spanish  called  them 
Moros,  or  Moors,  and  they  are  supposed  to  have 
been  descended  from  the  Mussulman  Dyaks  of 
Borneo.  Their  history  here  is  one  almost  con- 
tinual warfare  with  the  native  races  and  Span- 
iards, until  the  latter  were  glad  to  compromise 
with  so  formidable  an  enemy.  For  over  two 
centuries  their  war-junks  carried  terror  to  the 
inhabitants  of  all  parts  of  the  Archipelago. 
Whole  towns  were  razed,  plantations  ravaged, 
and  the  people  driven  back  into  the  forests.  So 
complete  was  their  work  of  devastation  that  dire 
poverty  followed  in  the  paths  of  their  raids. 

But  it  was  not  alone  for  plunder  that  this  was 
done.  When  the  Church  of  Spain  undertook  to 
convert  to  its  following  the  fanatical  Moslem,  it 
stirred  np  a people  it  could  neither  persuade  nor 
put  down.  The  hatred  of  the  Mussulmans  for 
the  Christians  was  equal  to  that  of  the  followers 
of  Mahomet  in  the  religious  wars  which  deluged 
Europe  in  holy  blood.  Here,  in  the  South  Seas, 
was  enacted  the  same  bitter  strife,  and,  as  there, 
no  real  victory  was  gained  on  either  side.  Fore- 
man, in  his  “ History  of  the  Philippines,”  says  : 


MESTIZOS, 


A WEALTHY  HALF-CASTE  PIIILIPPINO  LADY. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES.  29 


“ From  the  time  the  Spaniards  first  interfered 
with  the  Mussulmans  there  was  continual  war- 
fare. Expeditious  against  the  pirates  were  con- 
stantly being  fitted  out  by  each  succeeding 
governor.  Piracy  was  indeed  an  incessant 
scourge  and  plague  on  the  colony,  and  it  cost 
the  Spaniards  rivers  of  blood  and  millions  of 
dollars  only  to  keep  it  in  check.”  In  the  pres- 
ent century,  the  Mussulmans  appeared  even  in 
the  Bay  of  Manila.  There  are  persons  yet  living 
who  have  been  in  Mussulman  captivity.  There 
are  hundreds  who  still  remember  with  anguish 
the  insecurity  to  which  their  lives  and  property 
were  exposed.  The  Spaniards  were  quite  unable 
to  cope  with  such  a prodigious  calamity.  The 
coast  villagers  built  forts  for  their  defence,  and 
many  an  old  stone  watch-tower  is  still  to  be  seen 
on  the  islands  south  of  Luzon. 

This  race  now  extends  over  Mindanao  Island 
and  the  Sulu  group,  about  ninety  islands  in  all, 
with  a population  of  110,000  on  the  Sulu  Sul- 
tanate alone.  The  population  of  Mindanao  is 
unknown.  There  are  about  125,000  of  the  faith 
in  Luzon. 

These  people  are  generally  rather  prepossess- 


30 


THE  PEAEL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


ing  in  appearance,  the  men  very  robust,  lithe, 
and  active.  Brave  and  bold  when  occasion  de- 
mands, they  are  yet  careful  and  conservative  in 
their  plans.  They  are  fearless,  skilful  naviga- 
tors, and,  armed  with  swords,  lances,  krises,  their 
bodies  protected  with  shields  and  armour,  all  of 
their  own  make,  are  formidable  adversaries  in 
battle.  All  males  over  sixteen  years  of  age  are 
obliged  to  bear  arms,  and  they  have  an  army  of 
over  twenty  thousand  on  the  Sulu  group  alone. 

Fond  of  bright  colours,  both  men  and  women 
dress  somewhat  elaborately.  The  former  wear 
tight-fitting  breeches  of  a scarlet  hue,  a waist- 
coat, and  jacket  with  small  sleeves,  all  three 
garments  decorated  with  rows  of  bright  buttons, 
and  he  covers  his  head  with  the  Turkish  turban ; 
the  latter  encase  their  bodies  in  a glove-fitting 
bodice,  covered  with  arabesque  designs,  and 
which  is  met  by  the  baggy  dual  nether  gar- 
ments that  seem  a part  of  their  faith.  On  their 
heads  they  draw  a peculiar  hood,  called  the  jabul, 
and  made  with  a long  skirt  which  falls  down  the 
sides  when  not  held  up  under  the  arms.  The 
Moros  have  a legend  that  man  was  a giant  in 
his  early  days,  and  that  he  is  gradually  growing 


1 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES.  31 


smaller,  though,  his  mind  mcreases  in  power  as 
the  body  decreases.  Their  staple  crops  are  rice, 
sugar-cane,  maize,  indigo,  and  coffee.  The  prin- 
cipal export  is  pearls,  to  secure  which  they  often 
dive  a hundred  feet. 

The  Sultan,  or  “ Stainless  One,”  is  the  despotic 
head  of  the  State  and  Church.  His  palace,  con- 
structed of  wood,  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  new 
capital  of  Maybun.  He  displays  considerable 
pomp,  and  lives  in  ease  and  luxury,  surrounded 
by  a throng  of  sultanas.  This  power  holds  many 
slaves,  captives  obtained  in  their  wars,  or  children 
born  of  them.  With  this  fanatical  people  it  would 
seem  the  American  government  is  likely  to  have 
its  most  serious  trouble,  when  brought  into  direct 
contact  with  them.  At  present  an  armistice  or 
compromise  has  been  arranged  by  which  they  are 
to  remahi  under  their  local  authority,  but  ac- 
knowledging fealty  to  the  republic.  How  long 
this  will  last  or  how  creditable  it  is  to  republican 
ideas  of  government  remains  to  be  seen. 

On  the  southern  islands  are  the  visayas,  a 
half-breed  people  composed  of  the  bloods  of  the 
Tagalogs  and  the  Mussulmans  or  Sulus.  They 
are  a sullen,  savage,  thievish  race,  whose  ances- 


32 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


tors  were  among  the  criminals  of  the  lowlands 
of  Negros  and  the  sugar  plantations  of  Luzon, 
driven  out  by  the  Spanish  and  married  to  Sulu 
women.  They  appear  to  have  inherited  all  of 
the  worst  qualities  of  their  progenitors  without 
any  of  their  better  natures.  The  Spanish  have 
had  serious  trouble  with  them,  and  the  wars  are 
records  of  the  most  cruel  deeds  on  both  sides. 

Among  the  less  numerous  races  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Gaddanes,  of  the  northwestern  part 
of  Luzon.  This  is  a dark,  picturesque  people, 
wearing  long  hair,  taking  the  scalps  of  their 
victims  in  war,  and  offering  them  as  a marriage 
dowry  and  proof  of  their  valour.  They  still 
meet  annually  under  the  bursting  buds  of  the 
fire-tree,  and  offer  their  collections  of  trophies  of 
war  with  rude  ritual  rites  to  their  gods. 

Another  race  still  unsubdued  is  the  Igorrotes, 
of  the  northern  half  of  the  same  island.  These 
people  are  copper-hued,  like  the  North  American 
Indians,  and,  like  them  and  the  Gaddanes,  take 
the  scalp  of  those  they  slay  in  battle.  They  are 
pagan  of  a fanatical  type,  but  conceal  their  gods 
and  graven  idols  in  the  caverns  of  the  mountains. 

The  Tinguianes  live  in  the  territory  of  El 


SULTAN  OF  SULU  INTERVIEWING  EUROPEAN  VISITORS. 


ir 


MOHAMMED,  SULTAN  OF  SULU. 


f . ■■ 


-v:. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES.  33 


Abra,  in  Luzon,  and,  while  professing  a certain 
sort  of  allegiance  to  a civilised  government,  hold 
their  privilege  to  live  under  laws  of  their  own 
making  and  chiefs  of  their  own  race.  The  head 
of  the  village,  on  accepting  his  office,  swears 
hhnself  by  the  following  queer  oath : “ May  a 
blast  of  the  tempest  wither  me,  may  the  light- 
ning kill  me,  or  the  alligator  eat  me  while  I 
sleep,  if  I am  unfaithful  to  my  trust.” 

Even  a partial  enumeration  of  the  different 
peoples,  each  with  its  peculiar  characteristics, 
would  not  be  complete  without  mention  of  the 
Chinese,  who  have  come  early  and  late,  of  whom 
there  are  now,  in  spite  of  many  wholesale  massa- 
cres and  most  violent  measures  of  suppression, 
something  like  a hundred  thousand.  They  have 
secret  organisations,  guilds,  and  courts,  whose 
objects  are  to  afford  them  such  protection  as 
may  be  secured  from  a power  unfriendly  to 
them,  while  they  have  representatives  in  the 
government.  They  have  intermarried  to  a con- 
siderable extent,  and  in  this  way  more  than  all 
others  gained  a foothold.  As  I shall  treat  of 
them  quite  fully  in  my  description  of  the  Spanish 
conquest,  no  more  need  be  said  here. 


34 


TEE  PEARL  OF  TEE  ORIENT. 


The  population  of  the  Philippines  is  supposed 
to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  eight  million,  the  bulk  of 
which  belongs  to  the  native  element,  with  its 
eighty  odd  tribes  scattered  over  a hundred 
islands.  He  who  would  learn  very  much  of 
them  from  personal  observation  must  travel 
extensively,  and  often  with  every  precaution 
against  danger  to  his  life.  It  will  be  observed 
from  what  is  written  that  the  Philippines,  or 
descendants  of  the  Malays,  are  the  only  race  or 
tribe  the  Spanish  have  succeeded  in  bringing 
into  anjdhing  like  a state  of  subservience  to  the 
methods  of  a civilised  government  and  church. 
But  the  light  of  Christianity  fell  on  them  like 
the  burning  embers  of  freedom  smouldering  to 
darkness,  and  the  powers  of  the  state  were  huge 
pillars  raised  on  the  ruins  of  that  liberty  so  dear 
to  them.  They  followed  but  slowly  and  with 
averted  faces  the  way  marked  out  by  the  black- 
robed  Fathers  of  the  Far  West,  with  eyes  closed 
to  the  prospect  ahead,  and  the  dark  Inquisition 
behind. 


IGOEROTES. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  AXIMAL  KINGDOM. 

NLIKE  the  island  of  Borneo,  the  Philippines 


are  not  specially  favoured  with  animal  life. 
There  are  few  wild  creatures,  and  only  three  that 
are  really  antagonistic  to  human  life.  These  are 
the  wild  cat,  wild  boar,  which  the  natives  hold 
in  considerable  fear,  and  the  carabao,  a species 
of  buffalo,  dangerous  only  when  aroused.  Wild 
boars  are  found  the  most  numerous  on  the  island 
of  Tawi  Tawi.  Domesticated  hogs  are  to  be 
found  in  every  native  village,  looking  very  much 
like  their  kindred  of  the  ’wilds.  Three  or  four 
varieties  of  deer  roam  the  mountain  sides,  afford- 
ing excellent  hunting  for  the  sportsmen  and  a 
good  portion  of  the  meat  eaten.  Monkeys 
abound  in  the  forests,  and  among  the  several 
species  is  one  of  a pure  white. 

The  most  important  animal  is  the  carabao,  or 
buffalo,  which  is  easily  domesticated  if  caught 


35 


36 


THE  PEAEL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


young.  Stalking  the  wild  carabao  by  moon- 
light, creeping  upon  the  unsuspecting  brute  from 
behind  a tame  animal  of  its  kind  trained  for  the 
purpose,  is  considered  the  rarest  sport  of  the 
Philippine  huntsman.  When  close  upon  his 
game  the  hunter  leaps  from  his  covert,  and  with 
his  machete  (stout  knife)  hamstrings  his  victim 
with  two  swift,  unerring  blows.  He  knows  that 
if  he  misses  his  life  will  have  to  pay  for  his  mis- 
take, for  the  wounded  buffalo  is  a terrible  enemy. 
Its  short,  sharp  horn  is  a weapon  to  be  dreaded, 
and  there  is  nothing  short  of  death  or  victory  in 
a fight  with  a carabao. 

In  its  domesticated  state  the  carabao  be- 
comes the  plough-horse  of  the  primitive  planter. 
Hitched  to  a plough  of  the  most  crude  pattern, 
being  simply  a long  sharpened  stick  for  point, 
fastened  by  rattan  thongs  at  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees  to  a pole  which  answers  for  beam, 
with  a perpendicular  piece  lashed  on  for  a handle, 
it  moves  slowly  over  the  ground.  He  is  faithful 
to  the  slightest  command,  but  cannot  work  during 
the  hottest  part  of  the  day,  and  he  cannot  live 
without  his  daily  mud  bath.  He  performs  his 
ablutions  by  throwing  himself  on  one  side  in 


HOAR, 


4 


THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM. 


37 


some  miry  pool,  rolling  and  plunging  about  until 
be  is  plastered  with  the  sticky  substance.  When 
he  has  dried  himself  in  the  sun  he  looks  like  an 
ugly  image  of  clay  in  his  mud  shell.  Nature  in 
this  way  provides  him  with  a means  of  safety 
from  the  stings  of  millions  of  insects  which  swarm 
about  him  as  he  feeds  among  the  rank  vegeta- 
tion. He  is  an  amphibious  animal,  and  gets  a 
considerable  part  of  his  food  from  a plant  grow- 
ing at  the  bottom  of  streams.  If  docile  and 
attentive  to  his  native  master,  he  has  an  over- 
mastering fear  of  foreigners,  and  the  mere  sight 
of  a white  man  has  been  known  to  stampede 
every  buffalo  in  town.  The  meat  of  the  carabao 
is  eaten  by  the  natives. 

Besides  the  species  just  described,  there  is 
another  kind  of  buffalo  on  the  island  of  Mindoro, 
which  is  a curious  little  animal  living  only  in 
the  dense  jungles,  and  called  the  timarau.  It  is 
a mortal  enemy  to  the  carabao,  and  will  attack 
the  other  upon  sight,  generally  coming  off  the 
victor.  Its  flesh  is  good  eating,  but  it  cannot 
be  tamed,  and  is  seldom  hunted,  on  account  of 
its  ferociousness. 

Wild  cattle  are  found  on  several  islands,  and 


38 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


the  domesticated  kine  are  extensively  raised  for 
beef,  which  is  of  poor  quality,  owing  to  a certain 
herb  on  which  they  feed.  What  is  true  of  the 
beef  applies  to  the  flesh  of  fish  and  fowl,  all  of 
which  has  a disagreeable  taste  to  the  American 
and  European.  The  cattle  are  a small,  hump- 
backed variety,  on  a few  islands  used  for  draught 
j)urposes.  Milk  is  everywhere  very  scarce,  and 
fresh  butter  and  cheese  not  to  be  had. 

Though  not  natives,  wild  horses  are  met  with 
in  different  parts  of  the  Archipelago.  They  are 
descended  from  the  Andalusian  horse  and  the 
Chinese  mare,  mere  ponies  in  size  and  not  used 
as  beasts  of  burden.  Still,  they  are  strong  for 
their  size,  and  quite  fleet  of  foot.  They  are  now 
made  to  draw  the  street-cars  of  Manila,  and, 
sure-footed  and  swift,  nothing  save  a strong 
head  wind  seems  capable  of  stopping  them,  but 
traffic  has  to  suspend  while  the  gale  lasts. 

Other  domestic  animals  are  dogs,  cats,  pigs, 
goats,  and  monkeys,  all  of  which  are  to  be  seen 
in  a wild  state.  The  first  two  are  inferior  in 
size  and  looks  to  American  cats  and  dogs,  the 
former  being  marked  by  a peculiar  twist  to  the 
tail. 


ff 


THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM. 


39 


Of  reptiles  and  venomous  insects  there  is  a 
surfeit.  The  most  prominent  are  frogs,  lizards, 
snakes,  centipedes,  enormous  spiders,  tarantulas, 
hornets,  beetles,  ants,  horned  toads,  and  huge 
bats  in  numerous  colonies.  Some  of  the  last 
named  measure  five  or  six  feet  from  tip  to  tip 
of  their  wings,  and  they  have  bodies  as  large  as 
cats.  Europeans  hunt  them  for  their  soft  skins, 
while  natives  eat  their  flesh.  Excepting  the 
manajjo,  which  haunts  the  rice-fields,  and  whose 
bite  is  fatal  if  not  immediately  cauterised,  the 
snakes  are  usually  harmless.  Mighty  boa-con- 
strictors are  the  kings  of  serpents  in  the  Philip- 
pines, but  are  seldom  seen,  and  then  not  so  much 
dreaded  as  the  manapo  with  its  deadly  sting. 
Leeches  are  another  disagreeable  inhabitant  of 
the  wild  woods  and  stagnant  pools,  leapmg  upon 
the  intruder  when  least  expected,  beginning  to 
fill  up  on  the  blood  of  its  victim  at  once.  Croco- 
diles of  great  size  swim  in  the  bodies  of  fresh 
water  and  streams,  though  until  one  has  tasted 
human  flesh  it  is  not  much  feared.  But  once 
one  of  them  has  broken  the  rule  and  becomes 
a man-eater,  he  is  the  most  dreaded  creature 
known  in  Mindanao.  Cobras  are  occasionally 


40 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


seen  in  Samar  and  Mindanao,  while  small-sized 
pythons  are  found  almost  everywhere,  and  are 
kept  for  sale  as  rat  catchers  in  the  larger 
towns. 

Ants  and  mosquitoes  are  the  greatest  pests  of 
the  islands.  No  bed  is  lacking  its  mosquito  net, 
without  which  there  would  be  no  sleep  for  the 
occupant.  There  is  a species,  of  white  ants 
which  feed  upon  dry  wood  in  every  shape  and 
condition,  eating  into  furniture,  household  uten- 
sils, and  even  the  frame  of  the  building  in  which 
the  owner  lives,  actually  eating  him  out  of  house 
and  home.  The  natives  tell  strange  and  marvel- 
lous stories  of  their  depredations.  It  is  related 
that  an  elegant  chair,  owned  by  a wealthy  man, 
who  prized  it  for  its  associations  with  the  nobility 
of  his  native  land,  suddenly  collapsed  as  a visitor 
seated  himself  upon  it.  On  examination,  it  was 
found  that  the  whole  structure  was  nothing  but 
a shell,  the  white  ants  having  eaten  away  all 
else.  They  had  not  been  seen,  for  though  blind 
themselves,  they  always  manage  to  keep  out  of 
sight,  working  silently  in  the  dark  until  the 
hardest  piece  of  wood,  without  showing  any  signs 
of  the  havoc  wrought,  is  but  a husk. 


STKEKT  - CARS  IN  IIIANILA, 


THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM. 


41 


The  greatest  pest  is  yet  the  locust,  which  re- 
sembles a large  grasshopper,  and  comes  every 
few  years  in  vast  numbers,  swarming  over  every 
green  field  until  laying  bare  and  desolate  acres 
on  acres  of  growing  crops.  The  hemp  plantation 
is  exempt  from  their  depredations,  but  nearly 
every  other  crop  is  in  danger  from  them.  Upon 
the  approach  of  these  ravenous  creatures  in  great 
clouds,  winging  their  flight  from  place  to  place, 
the  natives  assemble  about  the  threatened  field, 
and  make  all  the  noise  they  can,  or  make  a 
dense  smoke  by  burning  damp  fuel.  These  ef- 
forts may  be  partially  successful,  but  a locust 
flight  is  always  marked  by  a wide  path  of  ruined 
crops. 

Still,  it  is  “an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody 
good,”  and  the  poorer  class  of  inhabitants  con- 
sider the  locust  a luxury  for  their  table,  and  they 
lay  their  plans  to  catch  all  they  can.  In  some 
cases  the  parish  priest  has  been  besought  to  pray 
that  this  scourge  of  the  planter  might  come 
often  and  stay  long  with  them. 

In  1851  some  martins  were  imported  from 
China  by  the  government,  it  being  claimed  that 
they  were  great  enemies  to  the  locust.  The 


42 


THE  PEAEL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


newcomers  were  received  with  great  enthnsiasm, 
and  treated  with  the  utmost  veneration.  They 
have  thrived  well  in  their  new  home,  while  the 
locusts  have  not  seemed  to  lose  anything  by 
them. 

Mosquitoes  have  enemies  in  the  newt  and 
chacon.  The  last  is  a sort  of  lizard,  homely  and 
ugly-looking  enough  to  frighten  away  even  mos- 
quitoes. The  newt  is  liked  by  the  inhabitants, 
and  is  spared  with  particular  attention.  A shy 
creature,  he  has  a peculiar  hal^it,  if  caught  by 
the  tail,  of  shaking  that  appendage  off  and 
scampering  away  minus  the  ornament.  Fish  of 
numerous  kinds  swim  in  the  surrounding  seas, 
while  sharks  add  zest  to  the  excitement  of  the 
fisher. 

If  showing  rather  an  unfavourable  inventory 
of  mammals  and  carnivorous  animals,  the  Phil- 
ippines are  fortunate  in  the  number  and  variety 
of  birds.  No  less  than  six  hundred  species  are 
found  on  the  islands.  Some  of  them  are  of  rare 
beauty,  but  among  them  all  there  is  not  a sweet- 
voiced songster.  The  game  birds  are  snipe, 
pheasant,  pigeons,  ducks,  woodcocks,  and  other 
waterfowls.  Hawks,  cranes,  herons,  parrots,  and 


PEACOCK. 


■I' 


^vV 


I''' 


r- 


/i*'  ' 


THE  AHIMAL  KINGDOM. 


43 


paroquets  are  peculiar  to  the  Archipelago.  Ro- 
mantic accounts  are  given  of  strange  birds  and 
their  habits.  Among  them  it  is  told  of  a bright 
little  bird  that  immediately  dies  upon  being  cap- 
tured ; another  is  a small,  dark-coloured  bird 
which  builds  its  nests  in  the  tails  of  wild  horses  ; 
another  has  the  colours  of  the  rainbow,  and  can 
imitate  the  cries  of  all  others  of  the  feathered 
tribe ; still  another  is  a pigeon  with  a crimson 
splash  on  its  breast  as  if  the  blood  had  gathered 
there  from  a wound.  The  dusky-hued  crow, 
known  the  world  over,  the  brilliant  cockatoo, 
the  saucy  kingfisher,  and  the  poet’s  turtledove 
are  all  found  here.  There  is  a species  of  swift 
whose  nests  are  highly  valued  as  an  article  of 
food.  These  are  made  from  the  salivary  excre- 
tions coming  from  the  builder,  and  are  found  in 
caves  or  on  the  sides  of  steep  cliffs,  where  it  is 
dangerous  for  man  to  climb.  The  first  nest  for 
the  season  made  by  the  bird,  usually  in  Decem- 
ber, is  pure  in  its  material,  and  when  dry  becomes 
hard  and  looks  like  glue.  It  is  claimed  to  be 
worth  its  weight  in  gold.  But  after  the  bird 
has  been  robbed  once  or  twice  she  begins  to 
include  foreign  matter  in  its  construction.  Nest- 


44 


TEE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


hunting  is  a paying  vocation,  the  Chinese  being 
the  principal  buyers. 

At  night,  during  the  dry  season,  very  brilliant 
fireflies  hover  and  flutter  around  some  of  the 
native  trees  like  moths  around  a candle,  until 
the  entire  foliage  is  illuminated  as  if  by  thou- 
sands of  tiny  lamps  swaying  in  and  out  among 
the  branches,  making  it  a fascinating  picture. 


CALAO  BIKD. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


SPANISH  DISCOVERT  AND  DOMINION. 

T the  dawning  of  the  sixteenth  century, 


^ while  the  Philippines  were  indolently  whil- 
ing away  hves  that  were  less  than  scratches  in 
the  sands  of  time,  their  greatest  concern  the 
state  of  the  activity  of  the  near-by  volcano,  their 
only  care  to  be  prepared  for  the  terrible  typhoon 
which  came  with  equinoctial  regularity,  or  the 
earthquake  which  was  likely  to  break  upon  them 
as  a thief  in  the  night,  and  their  most  severe 
exertion  a skirmish  with  some  rival  tribe,  Spain 
and  Portugal  were  quarrelling  over  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  world.  It  mattered  not  if  these  Euro- 
pean powers,  in  their  ignorance  of  the  land  and 
sea,  dreamed  not  of  these  island  kinglets.  Their 
fates  hung  in  the  balance  of  these  ambitious 
nations. 

Anxious  to  court  the  mutual  favours  of  the 
rivals.  Pope  Alexander  VI.,  styled  “ the  vicar  of 


45 


46 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


God  on  earth,”  sought  to  end  the  intense  feeling 
by  issuing  in  1494  a papal  bull  which  declared 
that  the  globe  should  be  divided  into  two  hemi- 
spheres, the  meridian  of  Cape  Verde  Islands  and 
the  same  degree  of  longitude  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  sphere  to  be  the  dividing  lines  of  the 
nations.  To  Spain  was  decreed  the  western 
hemisphere,  while  on  Portugal  was  bestowed 
that  on  the  east,  each  to  have  the  right  to  claim 
and  colonise  all  heathen  lands  they  might  dis- 
cover within  their  respective  allotments. 

The  Spanish  government,  on  the  10th  of  April, 
1495,  granted  its  royal  sanction  to  all  who  wished 
to  search  for  lands  in  the  unexplored  quarters 
of  the  globe.  This  done,  in  the  excitement  of 
the  discoveries  of  Columbus,  the  rivalry  was 
transferred  from  the  courts  of  royalty  to  the 
ships  of  the  adventurous  navigators,  who  pushed 
out  more  boldly  than  ever  into  the  far  and  un- 
known seas.  Among  these  was  Vasco  Nunez  de 
Balboa,  whose  discovery  on  the  26th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1513,  of  an  ocean  on  the  western  shore  of 
America  created  widespread  interest.  But  if  De 
Balboa  gazed  on  the  broad  Pacific,  it  was  from 
the  mountain-top,  with  his  ships  far  behind  him. 


MKUCIIANT  VESSELS  KEAli  liKlUGE  OF  STAIN,  PASIG  lilVEK. 


SPANISH  DISCOVERY  AND  DOMINION.  47 


and  how  to  get  them  across  to  the  newly  discov- 
ered waters  was  a mystery  and  enterprise  left  to 
be  solved  by  that  prince  of  circumnavigators, 
Hernando  de  Maghallanes,  a Portuguese  noble 
by  birth. 

Maghallanes  had  accompanied  an  expedition 
fitted  out  by  Portugal  to  visit  Moluccas  or  Spice 
Islands,  with  which  that  country  had  opened 
trade  some  years  before,  and  on  that  voyage  the 
islands  of  Tidor  and  Badau  were  discovered, 
suggesting  to  him  an  inkling  of  what  might  lie 
in  the  sea  extending  into  the  Far  East.  But 
before  he  could  carry  out  his  project  of  further 
exploration  in  that  direction  he  had  trouble  with 
his  king  of  such  a serious  nature  that  he  re- 
nounced his  birthright,  and  became,  by  natural- 
isation, a citizen  of  Spain,  and  his  name  was 
changed  to  Ferdinand  Magellan.  King  Charles 
listened  with  favour  to  his  scheme,  and  fitted 
him  out  with  five  vessels,  which  set  sail  on  their 
long  voyage  the  10th  of  August,  1519. 

Crossing  the  Atlantic  in  four  months,  the  little 
squadron  reached  Rio  Janeiro  safely  on  the  13th 
of  December.  Standmg  then  away  to  the  south, 
in  the  hope  of  finding  a passage  to  the  Pacific, 


48 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


Magellan  soon  found  himself  obliged  to  resort  to 
strenuous  measures  in  order  to  prevent  an  out- 
break among  bis  followers,  some  of  whom  ob- 
jected to  the  course  taken  by  him.  Unfavourable 
weather  succeeding,  a short  stop  was  made  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata  (Silver  River),  then 
named  Rio  Solis,  in  honour  of  one  of  bis  captains 
who  met  bis  death  there.  Soon  after  resuming 
his  advance,  one  of  his  vessels  was  wrecked  and 
another  deserted  him,  so  that  only  three  ships  of 
his  little  fleet  were  left  him  when,  on  the  28th 
of  October,  1520,  he  entered  the  channel  since 
known  by  his  name,  and  on  November  26th 
stood  bravely  out  into  the  vast  Pacific,  with  no 
knowledge  of  what  lay  in  his  pathway. 

Following  a northwesterly  direction,  the  Mari- 
ana, or  Ladrone  Islands,  were  discovered  on  the 
16th  of  March,  1521,  where  a short  stop  was 
made.  The  natives  crowded  around  the  ships  in 
such  numbers  that  a fierce  fight  ensued,  and  as 
they  seemed  determined  to  steal  everything  they 
could,  the  place  was  given  the  name  which  in 
English  means  “Robbers’  Islands.”  Sailing  west- 
ward from  this  point,  Magellan  next  reached  one 
of  the  largest  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  Mindanao. 


VILLAGE  OF  BAIIKLE,  I’ALAWAN. 


■i 


SPANISH  DISCOVERY  AND  DOMINION.  49 


Anchor  was  cast  at  the  mouth  of  Butuan 
River,  and  the  vessels  lay  off  shore,  while  crowds 
of  brown-tinted  natives  swarmed  around  them, 
believing  that  the  light-skinned  newcomers  in 
their  mighty  ships  were  messengers  of  light 
coming  from  the  land  of  dawn.  The  day  of  dis- 
covery having  been  that  dedicated  to  St.  Lazarus, 
the  island  was  named  in  honour  of  that  patron 
of  the  Church,  a name  afterward  extended  to 
cover  the  whole  Archipelago.  The  natives  prov- 
ing friendly,  the  Spanish  took  possession  in  the 
name  of  Charles  I.  without  bloodshed,  and  it 
being  Easter  week  they  proceeded  to  consecrate 
the  new  possession  to  God  and  the  Catholic 
Church  with  all  the  dazzling  display  of  the 
ritualist  rites. 

Then,  inducing  the  Butuan  chief  to  become 
his  pilot,  Magellan  sailed  to  the  island  of  Cebu, 
which  he  had  been  told  was  richer  than  the  one 
first  seen.  Here  he  was  greeted  with  a greater 
number  of  natives  than  before,  all  of  whom  were 
armed  with  spears  and  carried  shields.  A few 
words  from  the  Butuan  chief,  however,  convinced 
the  inhabitants  that  the  visitors  were  disposed 
to  be  friendly,  when  the  chief  of  Cebu  consented 


50 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


to  a treaty  of  peace,  providing  it  could  be  carried 
out  according  to  Cebuan  ideas  of  ratification. 
This  was  to  draw  blood  from  the  breast  of  each 
man,  and  from  as  many  natives,  one  to  drink 
that  of  the  other. 

The  condition  was  accepted  by  Magellan,  and 
the  ceremony  denominated  by  the  Spaniards  as 
Pacto  de  sangre,  or  “ brotherhood  of  blood,”  com- 
pleted, they  proceeded  to  disembark.  A hut  was 
then  erected  on  the  shore,  when  the  impressive 
scene  of  mass  followed.  Looking  on  with  awe, 
the  king  and  his  men  accepted  the  baptism,  and 
swore  allegiance  to  Spain.  All  of  this  but  slightly 
understood  by  the  natives,  Spanish  rule  at  once 
began. 

Upon  learning  that  their  new  subjects  were  at 
war  with  the  inhabitants  of  another  island,  called 
Magtan,  Magellan  offered  himself  and  men  as 
allies,  seeing  further  visions  of  conquest,  and  it 
might  be  of  riches . His  offer  was  gladly  accepted ; 
but  at  the  first  skirmish  with  the  enemy  Magellan 
was  mortally  wounded  by  a poisoned  arrow  on 
the  25th  of  April,  1521,  when  the  allied  forces 
retreated  in  disorder. 

Thus  miserably  perished,  at  the  very  zenith  of 


OLDEST  CIIUKCIl  IN  :\IANILA. 


SPANISH  BISCOVHEY  ANH  DOMINION.  51 


liis  glory,  a man  worthy  of  a better  fate.  In  his 
untimely  fate  Spain  lost  her  most  illustrious  and 
deserving  navigator,  Columbus  alone  excepted. 
Both  of  these  were  not  native-born,  but  adopted 
citizens.  The  deeds  of  the  great  Portuguese  are 
commemorated  by  a monument,  erected,  it  is  be- 
lieved, where  he  fell  on  the  island  of  Magtan. 
On  the  shore  of  Cebu  is  an  obelisk  marking  the 
beach  where  he  first  landed  on  the  island,  while 
in  front  of  the  city  of  Manila,  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Pasig  River,  stands  a third  testimonial  to 
the  memory  of  the  discoverer  of  the  Philippines. 

One  of  Magellan’s  subordinates  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  squadron,  but  this  leader,  Duarte  de 
Barbosa,  with  twenty-five  of  his  companions,  was 
killed  at  a banquet  given  by  the  King  of  Cebu. 
A Spaniard  named  Serrano  was  alone  spared  of 
all  on  the  shore  at  the  time,  and  he  was  held  for 
a ransom  of  two  cannons  from  the  ships.  In  the 
hope  of  driving  the  Sj)aniards  to  their  terms,  this 
captive  was  marched  up  and  down  the  beach  in 
plain  sight  of  his  countrymen.  In  accordance 
with  Serrano’s  signals,  and  fearing  to  remain 
longer  in  that  vicinity,  the  Spaniards  weighed 
anchor,  and  sailed  away  from  the  island,  leaving 


52 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


their  unfortunate  comrade  to  an  unrecorded 
fate. 

The  history  of  this  expedition,  the  first  voyage 
around  the  globe,  and  the  greatest  which  had 
been  made  at  that  time,  is  filled  with  a series  of 
misfortunes  and  misadventures  which  give  it  a 
melancholy  interest.  Their  numbers  now  re- 
duced to  less  than  one  hundred,  which  was  too 
small  to  navigate  the  three  vessels,  after  dividing 
the  seamen  between  two  of  them,  one  was  burned 
off  the  coast  of  Cebu.  The  remnant  of  the  little 
squadron,  which  had  sailed  so  proudly  out  of  the 
home  port,  now  headed  for  the  island  of  Borneo, 
which  was  known  to  the  Portuguese. 

On  their  way  thither  the  island  of  Palawan 
was  discovered,  but  some  of  the  seamen  were 
lost,  the  ships  were  separated,  and  after  many 
more  misfortunes  and  great  hardships,  three 
years  from  the  time  of  their  departure  a mere 
handful  of  the  original  numbers  — seventeen 
skeletons  of  hardy  men,  ragged,  and  famished  — 
walked  barefooted  through  the  streets  of  Seville 
that  they  might  reach  the  cathedral  and  offer 
their  thanks  to  God  for  their  safe  return,  before 
receiving  the  homage  of  their  countrymen  over 


AKSENAL  AT  niEJM'O  I'lUNCESSA,  I’AEAWAN. 


SPAmSH  DISCOVERT  AND  DOMINION.  53 

the  achievements  of  their  remarkable  voyage. 
Elcano,  the  commander,  was  granted  a life  pen- 
sion, knighted  by  the  exultant  King  Charles, 
and  given  permission  to  place  on  his  coat  of 
arms  a globe  having  the  motto,  “ Primus  cir- 
cumdedit  me.”  The  remaining  ship  of  Magellan’s 
squadron  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Portu- 
guese, after  being  disabled  and  most  of  the  sea- 
men lost.  The  survivors  were  sent  to  Lisbon, 
which  they  reached  five  years  from  the  time  of 
their  departure  on  the  memorable  expedition. 

Aroused  by  the  discoveries  of  Magellan,  Charles 
fitted  out  other  expeditions,  none  of  which  ac- 
complished anything  worthy  of  note.  De  Villa- 
bos,  the  commander  of  one,  renamed  the  islands 
in  honour  of  the  king’s  son,  Philip,  heir  apparent 
to  the  throne  of  Castile,  the  Philippines. 

Philip  II.,  who  succeeded  to  the  throne  on  the 
abdication  of  his  father  in  1555,  was  a religious 
bigot.  He  immediately  fitted  out  a squadron  of 
four  ships  and  a frigate,  with  eight  hundred  sol- 
diers and  six  priests,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of 
subjugating  the  natives  of  the  Philippines  and 
bringing  them  under  the  influences  of  the  Church. 
A famous  Basque  navigator,  named  Miguel  Lopez 


54 


THE  PEARL  OF  TEE  ORIENT. 


de  Legaspi,  was  placed  in  command.  In  the  due 
course  of  time  the  fleet  appeared  off  the  coast  of 
Mindanao,  to  the  wonder  and  terror  of  the  in- 
habitants. The  king  set  a watch  over  the  mys- 
terious comers,  who  soon  proclaimed  that  they 
were  men  of  mighty  stature,  with  white  faces 
and  long  beards ; that  they  blew  smoke  and  Are 
out  of  their  nostrils,  ate  stones  (sea  biscuits), 
commanded  the  thunder  and  lightning,  and  were 
no  doubt  powerful  gods.  This  announcement 
was  received  with  dismay,  and  the  natives  re- 
ceived the  Spaniards  in  a friendly  manner,  as 
their  fathers  had  Magellan  and  his  followers. 
They  gave  them  glowing  accounts  of  the  power 
and  riches  of  Cebu,  lying  to  the  south.  Legaspi 
resolved  to  reconquer  this  island  and  add  it  again 
to  the  realms  of  the  king. 

But  the  Cebuans  resisted  the  new  arrivals  on 
every  hand,  and  when  they  could  not  cope  with 
them  in  open  battle  retired  to  the  deep  forest 
surrounding  the  town,  and  waged  a predatory 
warfare.  Harassed  thus,  Legaspi  several  times 
thought  to  abandon  the  quest,  but  he  Anally  cap- 
tured the  city,  and,  winning  over  to  his  side 
some  of  the  leading  natives,  made  a firm  stand. 


PHILIPPIXO  GIRL. 


SPANISH  DISCOVERT  AND  DOMINION.  55 


The  island  was  declared  to  belong  to  the 
Crown  of  Castile,  and  its  inhabitants  to  be 
subjects  of  SiDain.  A messenger  was  de- 
spatched back  to  the  mother  country  with  the 
news  of  their  success . The  natives  began  to 
flock  to  the  standard  of  their  conquerors ; the 
king’s  daughter  married  one  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  several  alliances  by  marriage  were  after- 
ward made. 

In  the  midst  of  the  good  fortunes  of  these  for- 
eign invaders,  the  Portuguese,  who,  ever  since 
their  discovery  by  Magellan,  had  claimed  that 
they  belonged  to  them,  according  to  pontifical 
appointment,  appeared  on  the  scene  to  dispute 
the  authority  of  the  new  claimants.  But  they 
proved  weaker  than  their  rivals  and  were  obliged 
to  withdraw,  whereupon  Legaspi  built  a fortress 
and  laid  out  streets  on  which  the  Spanish  began 
to  build  houses.  In  1570  intelligence  reached 
Legaspi  that  the  King  of  Castile  had  declared 
him  governor-general  of  all  the  islands  he  might 
discover  and  hold.  He  thereupon  proclaimed 
Cebu  a Spanish  capital,  and  sent  an  expedition 
to  bring  the  island  of  Luzon,  of  which  he  had 
heard  much,  under  his  jurisdiction,  giving  the 


56 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


command  to  his  grandson,  the  youthful  Juan 
Salcedo. 

The  appearance  of  the  warlike  strangers  before 
Manila,  then  called  Manyla,  the  ancient  capital 
of  Luzon,  caused  the  natives  to  capitulate  without 
resistance.  The  island  of  Mindoro  was  next 
seized,  and  the  governor-general  apprised  of  the 
conquests.  On  the  arrival  of  Legaspi  at  Manila 
the  following  year,  that  city  was  declared  to  be 
the  capital  of  the  whole  Archipelago,  and  the 
sovereignty  of  the  king  was  pronounced  over  the 
entire  group  of  islands.  Governor-General  Le- 
gasj)i  died  on  the  20th  of  August,  1572,  and  his 
war-worn  body  was  given  burial  in  the  St.  Augus- 
tine Chapel  of  San  Fausto  in  Manila,  where  the 
standard  of  Spanish  royalty  and  the  armorial 
bearings  of  the  conqueror  remained  until  the  oc- 
cupation of  the  capital  by  the  English  nearly  two 
hundred  years  later. 

Thus,  with  what  was  relatively  a mere  handful 
of  followers,  this  persevering  and  honourable 
champion  of  Spain  won  almost  without  bloodshed 
one  of  her  richest  colonial  possessions,  and  estab- 
lished Spanish  power  in  the  Far  East. 


PRAWlJRirxf K AM)  GATE  OF  OLD  CITY. 


CHAPTER  V. 


El  VALET  OF  CHUECH  AND  STATE. 

TF  winning  control  of  the  Archipelago  with 
little  trouble  at  the  outset,  the  Spanish  were 
soon  called  npon  to  defend  their  newly  acquired 
domains  against  the  successive  attacks  of  organ- 
ised leagues  of  pirates  and  adventurers  then  ter- 
rorising the  islands  of  the  South  Seas.  Among 
the  most  dreaded  of  these  was  a Chinese  corsair 
named  Li-ma-hong,  who  had  been  outlawed  from 
his  native  land.  He  had  organised  a fleet  of 
sixty-two  jnnks,  manned  by  over  two  thousand 
sailors,  and  carrying  nearly  three  thousand  sol- 
diers, besides  fifteen  hundred  artisans  and  women 
with  which  to  found  a colony  in  the  rich  Philip- 
pines. \Yith  this  formidable  array  of  war-ships 
and  armed  warriors,  this  crafty  pirate  suddenly 
appeared  before  the  walls  of  Manila  on  the  29th 
of  November,  1594.  So  secretly  and  adroitly 
had  this  entrance  into  the  harbour  been  made 


57 


58 


THE  PEABL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


that  the  armed  horde  swarmed  through  the  gates 
of  the  city  before  the  Spaniards  were  aware  of 
their  danger. 

A desperate  fight  ensued,  and  the  invaders 
would  have  captured  the  city  but  for  the  timely 
arrival  of  Captain  Salcedo  with  fresh  soldiers, 
who  met  the  foe  in  a hand-to-hand  encounter, 
as  they  were  making  their  second  attack  led  by 
Li-ma-hong  in  person.  It  was  an  hour  fraught 
with  an  outcome  which  meant  European  or  Asi- 
atic supremacy  over  the  islands  of  the  South  Sea. 
The  Chinese,  fired  by  the  impassioned  speeches 
of  their  leader  to  stake  their  lives  on  the  tide  of 
battle,  fought  everywhere  like  fiends  incarnate, 
but,  through  the  bravery  of  Salcedo  and  his 
men,  they  were  finally  repulsed,  and  the  surviv- 
ors driven  in  wild  disorder  back  to  their  junks. 

Not  discouraged  by  his  defeat  here,  the  Chinese 
rover  went  to  another  part  of  the  island,  and  in 
the  province  of  Pagasinan  founded  his  dream  of 
an  empire  in  the  islands,  with  himself  as  grand 
mogul.  The  Spanish  tried  in  vain  to  dislodge 
him  from  his  capital,  and  it  began  to  look  as  if 
a serious  outcome  was  imminent,  when  the  news 
reached  the  Emperor  of  China  of  what  was  taking 


OLD  STONK  liltIDOE  NKAU  IMANILA. 


RIVALRY  OF  CHURCH  ANB  STATE.  59 


place.  An  expedition  was  at  once  fitted  ont  to 
be  sent  against  the  outlaw,  upon  learning  of 
which  Li-ma-hong  abandoned  his  ambition  and 
disappeared  from  the  scene.  A portion  of  his 
followers,  who  were  left  behind,  fled  to  the  fields, 
where  some  of  their  descendants  are  jet  to  be 
found. 

The  history  of  those  trying  periods  is  filled 
with  conflicting  accounts  of  battles  with  the 
pirates  of  the  seas.  A dependency  of  New 
Spain,  as  America  was  then  called,  the  only 
course  of  communication  between  the  islands 
and  Spain  was  by  way  of  Mexico,  and  the  gal- 
leons coming  from  hither,  laden  with  the  manu- 
factured goods  and  money  needed  by  the  colony, 
or  returning  with  the  rich  cargoes  of  the  tropics, 
were  tempting  prizes  for  the  outlaws  of  the 
ocean.  Thus  the  memory  of  the  defence  against 
the  Chinese  was  still  vivid  in  the  minds  of  the 
Spanish  when  Dutch  buccaneers  appeared  in 
the  surrounding  waters.  Securely  quartered  on 
the  Moluccas,  these  freebooters  ventured  forth 
on  conquests  in  which  mercy  was  neither  shown 
nor  expected.  The  galleons  of  Spain  were  ruth- 
lessly seized,  the  last  defender  put  to  death,  and 


60 


THE  PEABL  OF  THE  OBIENT. 


the  valuable  prize  borne  away  in  triumph.  So 
ineffectual  was  Spain’s  resistance  that  the  colony 
was  despoiled  of  gold,  silver,  and  treasures  of 
value  beyond  estimate.  Finally,  grown  bold  in 
their  piratical  warfare,  the  pirates  stationed  a 
squadron  of  their  ships  off  Manila  Bay. 

A war  then  existing  between  Spain  and  Hol- 
land was  thus  carried  to  the  Philippines.  Had 
these  corsairs  besieged  the  city  at  once,  it  is  evi- 
dent they  might  have  captured  the  islands,  and 
thus  they  would  have  passed  into  the  same  power 
which  to  this  day  controls  Java.  But  they  dal- 
lied, content  with  capturing  such  merchantmen 
as  came  in  their  way,  until  the  Spaniards  had 
collected  their  forces.  Then  Juan  de  Silva,  the 
governor-general,  under  sanction  of  the  Church, 
which  had  declared  the  Dutch  to  be  infidels  (they 
were  Protestants),  went  forth  to  drive  the  free- 
booters from  the  bay,  while  mass  was  said  in  all 
the  churches,  bells  were  tolled  and  images  of  the 
patron  saints  were  borne  through  the  streets  of 
old  Manila. 

Fired  by  the  zeal  of  the  Church,  the  Spanish 
were  determined  to  win  at  all  odds,  while  the 
Dutch  were  confident  of  victory.  The  battle 


RIVALRY  OF  CHURCH  AND  STATE.  61 


that  followed,  which  has  since  been  denominated 
as  the  famous  victory  of  Playa  Honda,  was  waged 
until  the  corsairs  were  utterly  annihilated,  their 
ships  destroyed,  and  plunder  to  the  value  of  over 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  taken.  Other 
struggles  took  place  between  the  enemies  in  the 
Philippines,  until  Holland  gained  her  mdepend- 
ence  in  1648,  but  this  was  the  decisive  contest  as 
far  as  the  islands  were  concerned.  The  Dutch 
began  to  devote  their  energies  toward  developing 
their  possessions  in  the  East  Indies,  and  let  the 
Spaniards  alone. 

If  freed  in  a great  measure  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  ocean  outlaws,  whose  temerity  equalled 
only  their  cunning,  the  Spanish  found  themselves 
with  all  upon  hand  that  they  could  attend  to. 
The  policy  of  Spain  and  her  representatives  from 
the  beginning  showed  no  organised  effort  to  dis- 
cover or  develop  the  natural  resources  of  the 
colony.  Juan  Salcedo  established  the  system  of 
letting  the  native  chiefs  and  their  male  successors 
rule  over  their  respective  tribes  as  long  as  they 
acknowledged  allegiance  to  the  Spanish  monarch, 
and  rendered  such  tributes  as  were  demanded. 
This  practice  was  followed  for  over  three  hundred 


62 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


years.  More  than  from  any  other  source  the 
peace  of  the  colony  was  assailed  by  dishonest 
officials  and  unscrupulous  friars.  A faulty  con- 
stitution, constructed  on  lines  similar  with  that 
of  Mexico,  and  but  poorly  understood,  gave  en- 
couragement rather  than  held  in  check  conten- 
tions long  and  often  bitter  between  the  state  and 
the  Church. 

Wherever  the  sword  of  Spain  hewed  the  path 
for  the  royal  standard,  the  cross  of  the  pontifical 
followers  was  planted  on  the  battle-fields  ere  the 
blood  of  the  slain  was  dry.  It  was  so  wherever 
the  fortune-seeking  courtiers  penetrated,  whether 
amid  the  copper-hued  natives  of  North  America, 
the  semi-civUised  legions  of  the  Aztec  princes, 
the  Children  of  the  Sun,  or  the  heterogeneous 
races  of  the  Far  East. 

The  conversion  of  the  natives  to  the  religious 
doctrines  of  the  Catholic  Church  was  the  para- 
mount object  of  Philip  II.  in  sending  the  Legaspi 
expedition  to  the  Philippines.  Accordingly,  a 
faithful  leader  in  the  sacred  cause,  who  had  been 
in  Mexico,  named  Urdanate,  and  half  a dozen 
Augustinian  friars,  were  the  pioneers  of  religious 
teachers  in  the  Archipelago.  These  Augustin- 


'J 


'I 


RIVALRY  OF  CHURCH  AND  STATE.  63 


ians  were  soon  followed  by  the  representatives  of 
other  orders,  Dominicans,  Franciscans,  and  the 
Recoletos,  or  barefooted  monks.  No  doubt,  these 
religious  fathers,  while  often  resorting  to  methods 
peculiarly  crude  and  often  governed  by  anything 
but  a Christian  spirit,  did  considerable  good  in 
lifting  up  the  moral  standard  of  the  benighted 
races. 

On  the  other  hand,  bound  together  in  the 
bonds  of  a united  brotherhood,  when  this  clerical 
corporation  undertook  to  meddle  in  the  affairs 
of  government,  serious  struggles  began,  which 
have  existed  as  long  as  Spanish  rule  in  the 
islands.  Ecclesiastical  authority  was  claimed  by 
the  priesthood  to  be  superior  to  civil  govern- 
ment, and  so  intense  became  the  contention  be- 
tween the  rival  factions  that  an  appeal  was  made 
to  the  king. 

This  brought  about  the  first  real  action  of  the 
king  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  affairs  of  the 
colony.  This  decree,  framed  to  placate  as  far  as 
possible  the  ill-feeling  between  the  two  powers, 
provided  that  a cathedral  should  be  erected  at 
Manila,  and  that  forty  Augustinian  friars  should 
be  added  to  the  clerical  force,  while  the  wander- 


64 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


ing  mendicants,  who  had  been  causing  consider- 
able disturbance,  should  be  expelled  from  the 
islands.  All  slaves  then  existing  in  the  colony 
should  be  set  free,  and  the  pernicious  custom  to 
end.  The  city  was  to  be  strengthened  by  further 
fortifications ; four  penitentiaries  should  be  es- 
tablished ; a number  of  strongly  equipped  war- 
vessels  should  be  added  to  the  defence  of  the 
city ; and  all  soldiers  and  employees  of  the  state 
should  have  fixed  salaries.  To  meet  these  ex- 
penses, import  and  export  duties  were  to  be 
levied,  and  the  natives  to  be  taxed.  The  sum 
thus  raised  was  to  be  divided  into  equal  parts 
for  the  state.  Church,  and  army. 

This  action  checked,  but  did  not  end,  the  dis- 
sension between  the  opposing  bodies,  while  it 
fomented  strife  in  other  directions.  The  system 
of  taxation  was  early  abused,  and  so  inexorably 
applied  that  the  native  population  suffered  untold 
indignities.  The  parents  of  the  child  were  taxed 
at  his  birth,  and  his  children  at  his  death ; be- 
' tween  the  two  events  every  act  of  his  life  was 
subject  to  the  same  collector.  There  was  no 
escape,  and  if  once  he  got  in  arrears  his  punish- 
ment was  of  the  most  brutal  kind.  Women,  for 


SPANISH  PRIEST. 


-i 


RIVALRY  OF  CHURCH  ANB  STATE.  65 


the  simple  offence  of  selling  produce  of  their 
own  raising  without  a license,  which  they  had 
no  money  to  buy,  were  publicly  whipped.  Men 
were  sent  to  dungeons  that  held  horrors  exceed- 
ing death  for  no  greater  crime  than  having  al- 
lowed a sick  buffalo  to  die  on  their  hands.  Tax 
collectors,  called  gobernaclorcilloes,vfQTQ  appointed 
for  certain  districts,  and  were  held  responsible  for 
the  amounts  of  taxes  ordered  to  be  collected. 
Whatever  deficiency  existed  at  the  time  of  settle- 
ment they  were  obliged  to  make  up  from  their 
own  property.  These  had  their  deputy  collectors, 
who  were  likewise  held  responsible  to  them,  and 
if  they  failed  to  render  the  expected  returns 
their  property  was  seized,  and  from  the  proceeds 
of  a forced  sale  the  balance  made  up.  If  this 
did  not  equal  their  indebtedness  they  were  sent 
to  prison.  It  has  been  no  unusual  sight  to  see 
able-bodied  men,  who  had  once  been  planters  of 
means,  despoiled  of  their  crops  and  animals,  even 
their  homes,  ragged  and  penniless,  on  their  way 
to  imprisonment  for  some  paltry  sum,  while  their 
families  were  left  to  look  out  for  themselves. 

This  situation  is  better  understood  when  the 
actual  power  of  the  Church  is  considered.  This 


66 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


ecclesiastical  corporation,  when  arrayed  against 
an  individual,  was  invincible.  It  was  always  for 
the  interest  of  this  body  that  the  tribute  de- 
manded from  the  people  should  be  made.  So 
not  alone  were  the  weak  and  middle  classes  made 
to  suffer,  but  often  men  of  great  wealth  were 
called  upon  to  make  contributions  toward  enrich- 
ing the  order.  If  one  dared  to  refuse  in  ever  so 
slight  a manner,  he  invariably  lost,  not  only  the 
amount  demanded,  but  along  with  it  his  home, 
and  often  his  freedom,  glad  to  escape  with  his 
life. 

Agents  of  the  Inquisition  held  powers  in  the 
Philippines  the  same  as  in  the  other  colonies  of 
Spain,  to  watch  over  the  lives  of  whomever  might 
be  placed  under  suspicion,  and  reported  accord- 
ingly if  he  committed  any  act  considered  under 
the  pale  of  religious  condemnation.  It  was  or- 
dered that  the  names  of  the  victims  should  be 
read  in  public  every  three  years,  and  twice,  in 
1669  and  again  in  1718,  this  was  done. 

Not  only  did  trouble  early  arise  between  Church 
and  state,  but  each  body  soon  began  to  quarrel 
within  itself.  The  representatives  of  several 
orders  that  had  come  to  the  islands,  though  be- 


MANILA  ST14EET,  RAINY 


1 


BIVALRY  OF  CHURCH  ANH  STATE.  67 

longing  to  one  religion,  became  jealous  of  each 
other,  and  added  to  the  strife  between  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  powers  were  the  petty  contentions 
among  the  friars.  In  one  thing  these  monks 
presented  a united  front,  and  that  was  in  opposi- 
tion to  every  reform.  Education  for  the  masses 
was  the  least  desired  of  all  objects  by  them,  as 
on  the  superstition  of  the  natives  depended  their 
prestige.  The  mere  rudiments  of  knowledge 
they  sanctioned  were  given  a religious  bearing 
in  unison  with  their  teachings,  and  the  press 
was  always  under  a rigid  censorship,  while  the 
colleges  and  the  University  of  Manila  were  made 
the  exponents  of  their  narrow  doctrines. 

A cause  of  ill-feeling  between  the  public  and 
the  churches  was  the  fact  that  the  superiors  of 
the  convents  were  making  serious  demands  on 
society  by  the  great  numbers  of  young,  marriage- 
able women  they  were  coercing  into  taking  the 
veil  and  leading  secluded  lives.  It  was  demanded 
on  the  part  of  the  people  that  the  number  should 
be  greatly  lessened  and  fixed  at  a regular  quota. 

It  is  related  that  as  late  as  1750  a nun  of 
Santa  Catalina,  falling  in  love  with  a Spaniard, 
whom  she  had  met  occasionally,  asked  that  she 


68 


THE  PEAEL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


be  relieved  of  her  obligations.  This  being  refused 
by  the  friars,  the  governor,  as  vice-regal  patron, 
was  appealed  to  for  succour.  He  decided  favour- 
ably to  the  request,  but  even  he  was  opposed. 
Thereupon  he  ordered  the  troops  to  be  placed 
under  anus,  and  the  cannon  to  be  pointed  upon 
the  nunnery,  with  instructions  to  the  gunners  to 
rase  the  building  if  the  freedom  of  the  girl  was 
longer  denied.  Upon  this  threat  the  friars  al- 
lowed the  girl  to  leave  the  place,  but  she  was 
lodged  in  the  College  of  Santa  Potenciana  until 
the  question  of  giving  her  complete  release  was 
settled.  The  archbishop  being  now  appealed  to, 
his  order  to  set  her  free  was  ignored,  and  an 
appeal  was  next  made  to  the  Bishop  of  Cebu. 
He  declined  to  enter  into  the  quarrel,  and  the 
Archbishop  of  Mexico  was  then  called  upon.  It 
was  necessary  that  the  nun  should  appear  before 
the  ecclesiastical  court  of  that  country.  Thus, 
accompanied  by  her  husband,  for  she  had  im- 
proved an  opportunity  to  get  married,  she  went 
to  Mexico,  where,  after  a long  and  vexatious 
delay,  she  was  declared  free,  and  her  marriage 
proclaimed  valid.  This  result,  with  all  its  delays 
and  vexations,  could  not  have  been  accomplished 


SEXTRY  OX  THE  WALL  OF  THE  OLD  CITY. 


h-' 


RIVALRY  OF  CHURCH  AND  STATE.  69 


had  she  not  been  aided  by  strong  friends  in  state 
and  court. 

Royal  decrees  or  Church  edicts  could  not  en- 
force honesty  in  the  management  of  public  af- 
fairs, which  continued  to  grow  worse  through 
the  successive  administrations.  As  early  as  the 
reign  of  Philip  III.,  a royal  commission  was  ap- 
pointed to  investigate  and  report  some  way  of 
avoiding  or  rectifying  the  gross  misconduct  of 
affairs.  This  commission  advised  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  island  colonies,  declaring  that  they 
w^ere  unprofitable  and  the  bone  of  contention  in 
serious  disputes.  The  king  was  prevented  from 
acceding  to  the  recommendation  by  the  advice  of 
a missionary  from  the  islands,  and  made  to  ex- 
claim that  his  conscience  would  not  allow  him  to 
discontinue  the  work  of  salvation  among  the 
benighted  races  until  the  Mexican  treasury  was 
depleted. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


COLONIAL  WARS. 


MONG  the  critical  periods  in  the  existence 


^ of  the  rising  government  in  the  Far  East, 
was  none  more  tragic  and  striking  in  its  outcome 
than  that  connected  with  the  fate  of  the  martyred 
saints  in  Japan.  At  an  early  date  the  Japanese 
entered  into  commercial  relations  with  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Luzon.  The  emperor,  upon  learning  of 
the  Spanisli  occupancy  of  the  islands,  at  once 
sent  a demand  to  the  governor-general  to  sur- 
render at  once  all  rights  and  powers  to  him.  Too 
weak  to  cope  with  so  powerful  an  enemy,  the 
Spanish  received  the  royal  representative  from 
Japan  with  every  appearance  of  friendliness,  j)ro- 
fessing  a desire  to  treat  with  his  Highness.  Ac- 
cordingly, the  Japanese  ambassador  returned  to 
his  country  accompanied  by  a Spanish  envoy. 
An  amicable  settlement  was  reached,  but  unfor- 
tunately the  Spanish  emissaries  were  lost  at  sea 


70 


NATIVE  liOATS  ON  I’ASIG  AliOVE  BKIDGE  OF  SPAIN. 


COLONIAL  Tr^iJS. 


71 


on  their  journey  home,  which  left  the  situation 
in  as  critical  a situation  as  before.  Two  religious 
embassies  were  next  sent  to  Japan,  with  the 
double  purpose  of  renewing  the  treaty  and  of 
converting  the  people  to  the  Cathohc  Church. 

The  first  object  was  easily  accomplished,  and 
the  Friar  Bautista,  chief  of  the  embassy,  obtained 
permission  to  build  a chapel,  which  was  opened 
with  great  ceremonial  display  in  1594.  If  the 
emperor  failed  to  foresee  the  result,  the  Portu- 
guese, ever  on  the  alert  for  their  interests  in 
that  vicinity,  saw  that  Spanish  supremacy  was 
sure  to  follow  the  establishment  of  the  Church, 
which  meant  danger  to  them.  The  emperor  was 
warned,  and  seeing  at  once  the  peril  menacing 
his  power,  should  these  wily  foreigners  succeed, 
he  issued  a mandate  forbidding  any  more  prose- 
lyting for  converts  to  a faith  at  variance  with 
his  own  ancient  religion.  In  their  zeal  to  carry 
on  their  work  of  converting  the  Japanese,  the 
priests  disregarded  the  royal  order,  and  in  con- 
sequence were  seized  and  sent  back  to  Manila. 

Fra  Bautista  was  not  to  be  deterred  from  his 
pious  purpose,  and  he  returned  to  Japan  with  a 
body  of  twenty  Franciscans,  to  resume  the  work 


72 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


of  conversion.  The  emperor  was  now  thoroughly 
indignant,  and  he  ordered  the  arrest  of  the  for- 
eigners. With  a few  Japanese  who  had  been 
converted,  twenty-six  in  all  were  condemned  to 
death.  Before  their  execution,  in  the  hope  of 
deterring  others  from  following  in  their  footsteps, 
the  ears  and  noses  of  the  victims  were  cut  off, 
and  they  were  marched  through  the  neighbouring 
towns  as  a warning  to  all  others.  On  the  breast 
of  each  hung  a board  describing  the  reason  of 
their  treatment.  They  were  put  to  death  by 
spears. 

Great  excitement  stirred  the  colony,  and  many 
other  priests,  more  zealous  than  wise,  undertook 
to  take  up  the  holy  work  of  the  unfortunate 
Franciscans,  all  of  whom  perished  as  unmerci- 
fully as  Bautista  and  his  companions,  until  finally 
Japan  refused  to  allow  Spanish  priests  to  land 
on  Japanese  soil,  or  to  treat  with  the  islands 
any  longer.  If  a harsh  measure,  it  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  it  alone  saved  the  empire  and  its  relig- 
ion from  a speedy  end. 

Like  Japan,  China  early  began  an  intercourse 
with  the  natives  of  the  Philippines,  though  the 
semi-barbarous  inhabitants  of  the  islands  were 


:AVri'K  ARSKNAL  ANI>  SIIII’YARI). 


COLONIAL 


73 


feared  by  the  Chinese,  who  conducted  their  trans- 
actions with  them  from  their  junks,  prepared  to 
move  away  at  an  instant’s  warning.  Under  Span- 
ish dominion  the  Chinese  gained  confidence,  so 
that  they  went  ashore,  and  eventually  became 
important  factors  in  the  development  of  the 
colony.  They  penetrated  farther  into  the  in- 
terior of  the  islands  than  the  Spaniards,  and 
increased  in  numbers,  until  it  was  deemed  neces- 
sary to  regulate  the  amount  of  business  done  by 
them.  Thus  a large  building,  called  the  alcer- 
ceria,  was  erected  under  the  supervision  of  the 
government  in  1580.  This  structure  being  finally 
destroyed  by  an  earthquake,  another,  larger,  to 
accommodate  their  increasing  trade,  was  con- 
structed for  them  within  the  city  of  Manila,  and 
known  as  the  Parian,  a Mexican  word  for  mar- 
ket-place. 

All  this  encouragement  was  given  the  Chinese 
under  the  correct  understanding  that,  without 
these  prudent  business  men  and  industrious 
workers  in  all  crafts  and  trades,  the  colony  could 
not  have  existed.  Juan  de  la  Conception,  a Span- 
ish writer  of  undoubted  veracity,  said  : “ Lacking 
the  trade  and  commerce  of  the  Chinese,  the  col- 


74 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


ony  could  not  have  prospered.”  He  places  the 
number  of  the  Chinese  there  in  1638  at  33,000. 
Not  only  as  traders  and  mechanics  were  they 
needed,  but  also  as  common  labourers.  Without 
the  rivalry  they  offered,  scarcely  a native  could 
have  been  induced  to  work  at  any  price.  The 
needs  of  his  life  had  not  previously  called  for  it, 
and  he  was  not  likely  to  begin  under  the  dicta- 
tion of  a foreigner. 

AYlien  the  Spaniards  began  to  realise  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  Celestials  in  their  dominion,  both 
in  numbers  and  power,  they  began  to  fear  them, 
lest  they  should  attempt  to  seize  the  government. 
The  natives  became  jealous  of  them,  and  were 
anxious  to  have  them  driven  back  to  their  own 
country.  Massacres  of  the  Chinese  on  the  most 
flimsy  pretences  occurred  in  1603,  in  1639,  and 
again  in  1660.  But  for  these  unwarranted  abuses 
it  soon  looked  as  if  the  Spanish  were  to  be  paid 
back  in  their  own  coin  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  Immediately  following  the 
great  Tartar  invasion  of  China,  a certain  man- 
darin, named  Koxinga,  driven  from  his  native 
land  by  the  invaders,  wrested  the  island  of  For- 
mosa from  the  Dutch,  and  established  himself  as 


COLONIAL  WAB8. 


75 


emperor  of  the  island.  He  had  a hundred  thou- 
sand armed  warriors  behind  him,  and  having 
routed  the  Dutch  without  trouble,  he  sent  an 
embassy  to  Manila,  demanding  tribute  from  the 
colony  of  Spain. 

The  Chinese  ambassador  was  an  Italian  Do- 
minican friar  named  Vittorio  Riccio,  who,  if  the 
representative  of  an  adventurer,  was  received 
with  marked  respect  by  the  Spaniards  on  ac- 
count of  his  religious  affiliation.  There  was  di- 
plomacy, too,  in  showing  open  honours  to  this 
Chinese  mandarin.  While  they  dallied  with 
him,  such  preparations  were  made  to  avert  the 
impending  ruin  of  the  colony  as  could  be.  The 
governor  issued  orders  to  destroy  several  forts 
on  the  other  islands,  while  the  work  of  fortifying 
Manila  was  carried  forward  as  secretly  and  rapidly 
as  possible.  Eight  thousand  soldiers,  besides  a 
small  body  of  cavalry,  were  put  in  readiness ; 
the  contents  of  the  public  treasury  were  removed 
to  safer  quarters ; the  Chinese  in  the  town  were 
put  under  strict  surveillance,  and  two  masters  of 
junks  were  seized.  It  was  the  plan  of  the  Span- 
ish to  massacre  every  Chinese  on  the  islands,  but 
first  they  wished  to  provoke  their  intended  vie- 


76 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


tims  to  some  act  which  should  give  them  a 
plausible  excuse  for  doing  so. 

In  their  alarm,  the  Chinese,  who  numbered 
over  ten  thousand,  attempted  all  sorts  of  devices 
to  escape.  Those  who  felt  like  joining  their 
countrymen  in  the  intended  attack  on  the  Span- 
iards sought  to  reach  them  by  swimming  out  to 
their  canoes  lying  off  the  coast,  the  majority  of 
these  meeting  death  in  the  water.  Only  a few 
reached  the  hosts  of  the  daring  Koxinga.  Some 
tied  to  the  mountains,  but  fully  nine  thousand 
waited  anxiously  the  development  of  the  situa- 
tion. This  was  precipitated  by  the  killing  of  a 
Spaniard  by  one  of  their  number.  Attacks  on 
every  hand  quickly  followed,  and  the  wildest 
excitement  reigned  on  every  hand.  But  the 
governor  soon  found  that  the  surprise  had  not 
been  as  comjffete  as  he  had  anticipated,  and  the 
Chinese  began  to  win.  In  this  dilemma  he 
asked  for  a cessation  of  hostilities,  until  some 
terms  of  peace  could  be  arranged.  Riccio  con- 
sented, but  while  he  was  obtaining  pardon  for 
the  so-called  rebels  they  killed  the  priest  left 
with  them,  when  the  massacre  began  in  earnest. 

Though  it  was  the  original  intention  of  the 


SQUARE  AND  RAILWAY  STATION,  MANILA, 


COLONIAL  Tr^JJS. 


77 

Spanish  to  kill  every  Chinaman  on  the  islands, 
some  of  the  wiser  ones  pointed  ont  the  inevitable 
harm  which  was  likely  to  follow  such  a whole- 
sale slaughter  of  the  tradesmen  and  mechanics, 
whom  the  city  conld  ill  afford  to  lose,  so  it  was 
agreed  to  pardon  all  who  would  sign  the  papers 
of  his  Catholic  Majesty  and  lay  down  their  arms. 
All  the  others  were  slain,  and  it  is  clamied  that 
the  waters  of  the  Pasig  ran  red  for  many  days. 

While  Koxinga  was  preparing  to  devastate 
the  Philippines  in  return  for  this  terrible  treat- 
ment of  liis  countrymen,  he  fell  ill  of  fever  and 
died.  A rebellion  soon  followed,  and  Formosa, 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Tartars,  became  a 
part  of  the  new  dynasty  of  the  Far  East. 

In  spite  of  the  opposition  to  them,  the  Chinese 
soon  began  to  come  to  the  islands  again,  until  in 
1755  it  was  resolved  to  expel  the  race  entirely 
from  the  Philippines.  But  as  before,  the  only 
merchants  were  the  Chinese,  with  the  exception 
of  a few  Europeans  and  a dozen  Asiatics.  With 
the  welfare  of  the  Church  always  in  mind,  it  was 
decided  to  exempt  all  Christian  Chinese.  This 
caused  many  to  espouse  the  Catholic  faith,  but 
over  two  thousand  were  banished  from  Manila 


78 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


on  the  SOtli  of  June,  1755,  and  a more  rigid  cen- 
sorship was  maintained  over  the  entrance  of 
Chinese  into  the  islands. 

Seven  years  later,  when  the  Chinese  became 
involved  in  the  trouble  of  Great  Britain  with  the 
Philippines,  over  six  thousand  of  them  were  mur- 
dered under  the  order  of  the  notorious  Simon 
d’Anda.  Yet  once  more  a wholesale  slaughter 
was  attempted,  when  great  numbers  of  the  na- 
tives were  dying  of  the  cholera  in  1820.  The 
Chinamen  and  other  foreigners  were  accused  of 
poisoning  the  drinking  water,  and  not  even  the 
exertions  of  the  priests  and  most  influential  citi- 
zens could  disabuse  the  rioters  of  their  mistake, 
until  many  of  the  Chinese  and  a few  British  sub- 
jects had  been  killed  in  and  around  Manila  and 
Cavite. 

Notwithstanding  all  this  opposition  and  op- 
pression, the  Mongol  race  has  persisted  in  coming 
to  the  Philippines,  content  to  pay  big  tributes 
often  for  the  bare  privilege  of  living.  Some 
have  professed  the  Catholic  faith  in  order  to 
give  them  a better  social  standing,  and  con- 
tracted marriage  with  native  women.  To  the 
Chinese  belongs  the  credit  of  having  stimulated 


TAGALO  FAMILY  OUT  FOR  A DRIVE  IN  A CAKETELA, 


4 /iv 
■■  •! 


'o' ' 


T/’ 


V.  7 


^iS^r  >v, , 


, . m 


'W  y ■ 


;V''  , ' - 


■ "'U.  .‘■ItVT.'Sfj 


•»  ■ 


. .r 


COLONIAL  WABS. 


79 


the  natives  to  the  limited  industries  they  have 
gained ; they  taught  the  Philippinos  the  method 
of  extracting  the  juice  of  the  cane,  and  built  for 
them  the  first  sugar  mill,  with  stone  crushers 
and  iron  boiling-pans.  They  also  showed  them 
how  to  work  wrought  iron.  In  return  they  have 
been  invited  to  take  up  agriculture,  but  the  Ce- 
lestials are  of  a commercial  bent  of  mind.  The 
towns,  too,  offered  them  greater  security  than 
the  isolated  districts,  where  their  crops  were 
liable  to  be  plundered  by  more  thriftless  neigh- 
bours. The  Spanish  did  not  hesitate  to  accuse 
them  of  being  robbers  themselves,  as  they  slaved 
and  stinted  themselves  while  on  the  islands  that 
they  might  carry  back  to  their  home  land  all  of 
their  earnings  there.  Thus  there  has  never  been, 
and  is  not  to-day,  any  harmony  between  the 
races  so  dissimilar,  — the  Philippine-Malays,  with 
their  utter  lack  of  care  for  the  morrow  or  ambi- 
tion to  rise  above  their  present  position,  and  the 
frugal  Mongols,  who  are  content  to  work  or 
trade  at  whatever  price  they  may  get. 

Just  how  many  Chinese  there  are  on  the 
islands  now  it  is  impossible  to  say,  but  the  best 
authorities  place  their  number  as  high  as  one 


80 


THE  PEABL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


hundred  thousand,  nearly  all  men,  and  over  forty 
thousand  dwelling  in  and  around  Manila.  As 
severely  as  they  have  fared  under  Spanish  do- 
minion, their  condition  would  be  even  worse 
under  a native  government,  for  one  of  the  avowed 
purposes  of  the  Tagalog  revolutionists  has  been 
a complete  exclusion  of  the  race  from  the  Philip- 
pines. 

Besides  their  trouble  with  the  Chinese,  har- 
assed more  or  less  by  the  Dutch,  Portuguese, 
and  other  enemies,  as  well  as  internecine  con- 
tention, the  Spanish  continued  to  strengthen 
their  hold  on  the  island  colony  until  the  war  of 
Great  Britain  against  France  and  Spain  brought 
them  the  most  formidable  enemy  they  had  to 
meet. 

The  British  had  captured  Havana,  and,  acting 
under  the  advice  of  Colonel  Draper,  who  had 
visited  the  Spanish  East  India,  sent  an  expedi- 
tion under  the  joint  command  of  him  and  Ad- 
miral Draper  to  seize  Manila.  Inferior  in  force 
and  equipments,  the  Spaniards,  supported  by  five 
thousand  natives  who  rallied  around  them,  made 
a stubborn  defence.  Still  the  defenders  were 
soon  routed,  and  the  city  fell  into  the  hands  of 


COLONIAL  WARS. 


81 


the  British,  who  closed  the  doors  of  the  convents 
and  nunneries,  and  allowed  their  soldiers  to  pil- 
lage the  town.  The  English  troops,  it  is  said, 
behaved  very  well,  but  over  two  thousand  Sepoys 
under  Draper  stopped  at  no  crime.  The  arch- 
bishop, who  was  at  that  time  acting  in  the  double 
capacity  of  governor-general  and  pontifical  head, 
plead  so  earnestly  for  a restoration  of  order  that 
the  supplication  was  finally  heeded,  but  not  un- 
til a wrong  had  been  committed  which  placed 
an  everlasting  stain  on  the  reputation  of  the 
invaders. 

Papers  of  capitulation  were  drawn  up,  which 
stated  that  the  territory  given  over  to  the  British 
included  the  entire  Archipelago,  but  in  reality 
they  obtained  possession  of  only  Manila  and  its 
immediate  surroundings.  Even  in  this  they  were 
not  long  left  in  peaceful  occupation.  A Spanish 
justice  by  the  name  of  Simon  d’Anda  escaped 
from  Manila,  carrying  with  him  half  a ream  of 
paper  bearing  the  official  government  stamp. 
Upon  this  paper  he  sent  out  proclamations  de- 
claring himself  Governor-General  of  the  Philip- 
pines. Troops  flocked  around  him,  and  two  or 
three  ineffectual  attempts  were  made  to  rout  the 


82 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


British.  In  the  midst  of  this  a conspiracy  among 
the  Chinese  in  the  province  of  Pampanga  to  as- 
sassinate him  was  discovered,  when  he  turned 
his  vengeance  on  the  Mongols,  putting  to  death 
thousands  who  were  innocent  of  any  thoughts  of 
sedition. 

The  British  claimed  an  indemnity  of  four  mil- 
lion dollars  as  an  offset  against  giving  up  the 
city  as  pillage-ground,  which  the  Spanish  agreed 
to  pay.  But  only  a fourth  of  this  was  really 
paid,  and,  harassed  by  attacks  from  outside  and 
quarrels  within  the  ranks,  the  English  were  hav- 
ing an  uncomfortable  experience,  when  word 
came  that  the  war  was  at  an  end.  The  terms 
of  the  Peace  of  Paris,  concluded  on  the  10th  of 
February,  1763,  provided  for  the  evacuation  of 
Manila  by  the  British  forces. 

The  British  now  agreed  to  accept  one  million 
dollars  as  indemnity,  but  more  than  half  of  this 
was  never  paid,  and  quibbling  and  quarrelling 
arose  as  to  who  was  the  rightful  person  to  make 
settlement.  D’Anda  was  making  some  headway 
toward  getting  affairs  under  his  control,  seeking 
a delay  under  pretence  of  wishing  to  get  news  of 
the  cessation  of  hostilities  by  way  of  Madrid.  In 


TRAVEL  IN  RAINY  SEASON. 


COLONIAL  TFyljBS. 


83 


the  meantime  a goTeriior-general  was  sent  over 
from  Spain,  who  proved  his  authority,  and  the 
British  withdrew.  Peace  was  not  restored  in 
the  islands  until  March,  1765.  This  struggle 
cost  seventy  lives  on  the  part  of  the  Spanish, 
and  one  hnndred  and  forty  natives,  while  over 
ten  thousand  of  the  rebels  perished. 

About  two  miles  south  of  the  city,  near  a 
point  of  land  where  the  British  first  effected  a 
landing,  and  where  the  American  troops  in  1898 
did  the  same,  stands  a small,  square  fort  of 
masonry  called  the  Poveinna,  or  Powder  Maga- 
zine. Against  this  General  Draper  directed  an 
assault,  and  on  the  walls  of  the  ancient  structure 
are  yet  to  be  seen  the  indentations  of  the  Brit- 
ish cannon-balls,  while  alongside  of  them  are 
the  recent  effects  to  he  seen  from  the  shells  of 
Admiral  Dewey’s  fleet. 

Another  monument  of  that  stirring  episode, 
from  which  the  Spanish  have  since  claimed  much 
glory,  stands  near  the  north  end  of  that  fashion- 
able promenade,  Pasco  cle  Lucia,  and  can  be 
seen  by  the  vessels  passing  up  and  down  the 
river.  This  is  a proud  obelisk  proclaiming  in 
glowing  terms  the  expulsion  of  the  British  from 


84 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


the  Philippines  by  the  heroic  Spaniards,  led  by 
that  great  patriot,  Simon  d’Anda.  So  much  for 
the  accumulated  valour  of  a hundred  years. 

From  the  evacuation  of  the  British  in  1764 
no  great  event  occurred  in  the  checkered  history 
of  the  island  colony  for  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  years,  which  period  ends  with  that  most 
momentous  revolution  of  1896. 


VOLCANO  OF  APO. 


1 


CHAPTER  VII. 


RESOURCES  AND  COMMERCE. 

XPLORERS  and  discoverers  are  imbued 


with  the  spirit  of  great  reward  for  their 
hazardous  adventures  lying  somewhere  just  be- 
yond their  range  of  knowledge  ; the  undiscovered 
realm  in  imagination  is  peopled  with  strange 
races  of  beings,  and  its  wilderness  is  the  store- 
house of  marvellous  treasures.  The  first  suppo- 
sition has  proven  correct  in  the  case  of  the 
Philippines ; how  near  the  other  is  to  the  real 
situation  remains  yet  to  a great  extent  for 
Yankee  enterprise  to  solve.  Taking  the  island 
of  Luzon  for  the  wrist,  the  Palawan  line  of  islands 
for  the  thumb,  and  we  have  a mighty  right  hand, 
clothed  in  the  rich  verdure  of  the  tropics,  laid 
palm  up  on  the  heaving  bosom  of  old  ocean. 
In  the  hollow  of  that  hand,  which  Spain  has 
guarded  as  a tniser  does  his  hoard,  is  laid  the 
lavish  ofierir  gs  of  the  great  Southern  Pacific. 


85 


86 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


The  wealth  of  the  forests  has  been  briefly 
described,  but  the  deposits  of  ore  of  various 
kinds  remain  to  be  considered.  Gold  is  found 
in  the  mountainous  districts  of  Luzon,  Mindanao, 
Mindoro,  and  other  islands.  In  the  early  days 
of  its  discovery  by  the  Europeans  stories  of  its 
great  abundance  were  heralded  abroad,  and  for- 
tune-seekers flocked  here  as  they  did  to  America, 
and  later  to  Australia.  Here  were  repeated  the 
scenes  of  human  sacrifice  in  a greed  for  gold  such 
as  had  been  enacted  in  the  land  of  the  Aztecs 
and  Incas.  With  their  wash-board  and  a wooden 
bowl  of  unknown  antiquity,  the  natives  had  dug 
and  washed  the  precious  ore  for  time  beyond  the 
computation  of  the  historian,  and  necklets,  brace- 
lets, and  anklets  of  pure  gold  were  worn  by  them 
as  common  ornaments.  Thus  when  the  sailors 
of  Spain  found  their  way  hither,  galleon  after 
galleon  went  home  fairly  laden  with  the  golden 
treasure,  and  not  alone  did  Spain,  but  many  of 
the  semi-corsairs  of  Old  England,  seize  on  ill- 
gotten  gains.  Sir  Francis  Drake,  in  his  famous 
voyage  around  the  world,  captured  two  of  these 
prize-ships  of  the  Philippines,  which  he  sent 
home  “ under  sail  of  damask  and  cordage  of 


SCKNE  IN  BULACAN. 


BESOURCES  AND  COMMERCE. 


87 


silk.”  Anson’s  fleet  in  the  last  century  hovered 
for  years  in  the  southern  waters,  eagerly  watch- 
ing for  the  gold-laden  galleons  which  from  time 
to  time  crossed  his  path.  Longer  than  they  will 
aclmowledge,  the  Chinese  have  sought  in  the 
fastness  of  the  wilderness  the  hidden  wealth  of 
the  mines,  all  of  which  ore  has  been  transported 
to  the  home  land,  a steady  revenue  for  centuries. 
Abandoned  mines  worked  in  years  long  since 
passed  are  to  be  found  here  and  there.  But  this 
gold  has  been  all  profit  to  Spain.  Vast  sums, 
aggregating  nearly  a million  and  a half  of  dollars, 
have  been  expended  in  Spanish  ways  to  work 
these  mines,  without  reaping  one  dollar  in  profit. 
The  natives  have  been  averse  to  cooperating  with 
them,  and  the  friars  have  found  greater  benefit 
in  resisting  all  attempts  to  open  up  the  placer 
deposits  of  the  mountain  streams.  One  great 
reason  of  the  failure  has  been  Sj)ain’s  indiffer- 
ence to  build  suitable  roads  in  order  to  reach  the 
scenes  of  operation  and  to  make  transportation 
easier  and  cheaper.  Until  the  ulterior  of  the 
gold-producing  islands  has  been  explored,  the 
value  of  this  kind  of  mineral  must  remain  un- 
known. 


88 


TEE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


The  islands  of  Cebu  and  Masbate  have  beds  of 
lignite  of  very  good  quality,  those  of  the  last 
named  island  being  estimated  to  afford  about 
twenty  thousand  tons  to  the  acre.  But  true  coal 
is  not  believed  to  be  fonnd  in  any  considerable 
deposits.  Iron  ore,  on  the  other  hand,  is  abun- 
dant and  of  excellent  quality.  There  are  also 
many  rich  deposits  of  zinc  and  copper.  In  the 
vicinity  of  the  ancient  volcanoes  sulphur  is 
found  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make  its 
mining  profitable  with  better  means  of  trans- 
portation. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  methods  of  dealing 
* with  any  mining  or  other  enterprise,  it  is  related 
that  in  1750  a Spaniard  by  the  name  of  Salvador, 
after  agreeing  to  pay  enormous  bounties  to  the 
government,  got  possession  of  the  iron  mine  of 
Santa  Ines  in  Morong.  The  next  difficulty 
which  confronted  him  was  to  obtain  labourers. 
Finding  that  he  could  not  get  the  natives  to 
work,  he  hired  some  Chinese.  Thereupon  the 
Church  interfered,  denying  him  the  right  to  hire 
infidel  help.  Finally,  he  was  compelled  to  send 
the  Chinese  home  at  his  own  expense.  Then, 
when  he  had  got  his  ore  into  the  market,  the 


PLANTATION  ON  MINDANAO. 


BESOURCES  ANB  COMMERCE. 


80 


royal  stores  refused  to  buy  it  on  the  ground  that 
it  had  been  worked  by  men  who  were  not  Chris- 
tians ! He  was  thus  obliged  to  give  up  the  en- 
terprise, and  the  government  claimed  renewed 
possession,  leaving  him  a ruined  man.  Though 
really  a valuable  mine,  nothing  has  ever  been 
done  with  it  since. 

Another  story  is  told  by  Foreman,  where  in 
the  Bulacan  province  an  iron  mine  was  attempted 
by  a couple  of  Englishmen  at  the  heginning  of 
the  present  century.  They  erected  at  great  ex- 
pense machinery  necessary  to  carry  on  the  work, 
and  then  eno'ao’ed  all  the  head  men  round  about 

O O 

the  country  to  hire  help  for  them  at  a fixed 
salary.  For  a time  this  scheme  worked  well ; 
then  the  agents  began  to  demand  their  wages  in 
advance  and  grew  importunate,  though  the  num- 
ber of  the  miners  was  steadily  decreasing.  In 
vain  the  Englishmen  tried  to  secure  a sufficient 
number  of  labourers  to  carry  on  their  undertak- 
ing, and  finally,  having  spent  over  twenty  million 
dollars  without  any  promise  of  success,  they 
hired  a native  to  paddle  them  out  to  sea  in  his 
canoe,  where  both  blew  out  their  brains  with 
pistols. 


90 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


Everywhere  the  short-sighted  policy  of  Spain 
has  held  in  check  all  progress ; the  mines  have 
been  deserted ; the  forests  abandoned ; only  the 
native,  too  indolent  to  profit  by  them,  knows 
anything  of  the  undeveloped  riches  stored  in  the 
unexplored  districts . U nder  American  enterprise 
it  is  not  rash  to  predict  that  highways  will  soon 
penetrate  to  the  great  heart  of  these  islands,  and 
the  shriek  of  the  iron  horse  will  awaken  the  soli- 
tude of  far-reachmg  wildwoods  where  now  the 
foot  of  man  has  never  made  its  imprint. 

Of  the  value  of  the  mines  and  forests  the  na^ 
tives  have  had  little  concern.  As  with  all  primi- 
tive people,  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  has  been 
and  is  the  main  occupation.  The  Philippino  does 
not  take  up  manufacture  with  enough  determi- 
nation to  make  it  a success,  except  it  is  the  roll- 
ing of  tobacco  leaves  into  cigars  and  cigarettes. 
Many  thousands  of  natives  are  employed  at  this 
in  Manila.  I have  spoken  of  converting  split 
bamboo  into  hats  and  utilising  certain  parts  of 
the  palm  for  marketable  products.  In  Iloilo  is 
manufactured  a coarse  cloth  from  hemp  fibres, 
and  from  the  pineapple  is  woven  the  pina  mus- 
lin, so  highly  prized  by  the  better  class.  The 


EESOUECES  AND  C02IMEECE. 


91 


chief  industries  are  the  raising  of  rice,  sugar, 
and  hemp. 

The  staple  food  of  the  people,  the  rice  crop, 
is  grown  in  every  province,  and  is  really  the 
only  product  of  agriculture  the  Philippino  knows 
how  to  cultivate  successfully.  Formerly  it  was 
raised  in  such  quantities  that  large  shipments 
were  made  to  China,  but  of  late  years  sugar- 
cane has  so  supplanted  it  that  not  enough  is 
now  raised  for  home  consumption.  The  reason 
of  the  decline  is  that  it  is  not  profitable.  As  a 
rule,  only  one  crop  a year  can  be  raised,  the 
annual  yield  being  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
fold. 

The  species  of  sugar-cane  most  successfully 
cultivated  differs  from  that  of  the  West  Indies, 
and  is  of  the  kind  grown  in  the  Polynesian 
Archipelago  and  Malaysia.  The  best  sugar  land 
is  on  the  island  of  Negros,  where  it  is  sold  for 
fifty  dollars  an  acre.  Land  partially  worn  but 
situated  near  to  Manila  is  considered  worth  over 
one  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  The  difference  in 
price  is  owing  to  the  location,  and  not  the  quality 
of  the  soil,  which  is  inferior  to  the  other.  Rail- 
roads would  open  up  good  lands  in  the  interior 


92 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


and  tend  to  equalise  the  prices.  The  methods 
of  cultivation  and  manufacture  are  very  primi- 
tive. Much  of  the  saccharine  substance  is  lost 
and  the  sugar  produced  of  a poor  quality ; but 
the  yield  is  large  and  under  proper  management 
might  be  made  very  profitable.  There  are  good 
cane-fields  and  unimproved  lands  on  the  islands 
of  Cebu,  Panay,  Negros,  Luzon,  and  others,  in 
the  central  Archipelago.  The  plantations  are 
large  and  small,  according  to  the  capital  of  the 
owner,  but  as  a rule  do  not  produce  more  than  a 
thousand  tons  each  annually.  The  planters  are 
generally  of  the  Malay  race,  and  their  labourers 
are  from  their  people  very  largely.  These  last 
live  in  little  bamboo  huts,  clothed  in  the  most 
primitive  attire,  with  rice  and  fish  almost  entirely 
their  diet.  Few  of  them  save  any  part  of  their 
low  wages,  while  their  employers  are  equally 
improvident,  often  owing  more  than  they  are 
worth,  and  compelled  from  year  to  year  to  mort- 
gage their  crops  in  advance.  The  wealthy  spec- 
ulators and  exporters  let  them  have  money  at 
exorbitant  rates,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases 
eventually  get  possession  of  their  plantations. 
The  manufacture  is  done  in  an  equally  slovenly 


BESOURCES  AND  COMMERCE. 


93 


and  unbusinesslike  manner,  wliicli  has  made 
what  might  have  been  a profitable  industry  a 
discouraging  outlook.  Rough  cutting  mills  with 
cylinders  of  wood  are  used  in  the  southern 
islands,  and  wheels  of  iron  have  been  common 
in  the  north,  both  introduced  by  the  Chinese. 
Of  late,  however,  iron  rollers,  revolved  by  buffa- 
loes, and  steam  mills  have  been  introduced. 

Of  more  importance  than  the  sugar-cane  or 
any  other  plant  of  the  Philippines  is  a species  of 
plantain,  called  by  the  natives  abaca.  It  resem- 
bles the  banana  so  closely  as  to  deceive  the  casual 
observer,  but  the  tree  does  not  attain  the  height 
of  the  other,  its  leaves  are  of  a darker  green, 
while  its  fruit  is  not  palatable.  What  it  lacks 
in  the  last  respect  it  more  than  makes  up  in  af- 
fording that  most  valuable  of  all  fibres  for  bind- 
ing purposes,  the  world-famous  Manila  hemp. 

It  is  a tree-like  herb,  growing  on  the  mountain 
slopes  inclined  to  be  dry,  and  will  not  flourish  in 
swampy  districts.  It  reaches  the  height  of  ten 
feet,  at  the  end  of  three  years’  growth  sending 
up  a central  stem  which  produces  flowers,  and 
later  fruit.  But  the  latter  is  not  allowed  to  ap- 
pear, the  stem  being  removed  and  the  stalk  of 


94 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


leaves  torn  into  strips  of  five  or  six  indies  in 
wicltli  and  usually  about  as  many  feet  in  length. 
From  these  long  pieces  come  the  fibre  desired, 
which  has  to  be  scraped  of  the  pulp  around  it 
and  left  to  dry  in  the  sun  for  five  or  six  hours. 
The  cleaning  is  done  by  hand,  and  nearly  one- 
third  of  the  fibre  is  spoiled  by  the  process.  The 
best  hemp  raised  so  far  has  been  on  the  islands 
of  Leyte  and  Marinduque,  and  the  districts  of 
Gnbat  and  Sorogon,  Luzon,  and  the  province  of 
Albay,  on  the  same  island. 

Manila  coffee  is  as  highly  prized  in  Spain  as 
hemp  is  in  the  United  States.  Coffee  was  intro- 
duced by  the  Spanish  in  the  early  part  of  the 
present  century,  but  its  raising  as  an  industry 
has  been  sadly  neglected,  and  what  might  have 
proved  a profitable  industry  was  lost  through 
indifference.  From  the  trees  first  planted  on 
the  island  of  Luzon  have  sprung  coffee-bushes  all 
over  that  island,  a small  animal  resembling  the 
weasel  having  scattered  the  seeds.  From  these 
plants  and  the  original  trees  planted  nearly  a 
hundred  years  ago,  many  thousand  pounds  of 
berries  have  been  gathered  annually. 

The  missionaries  introduced  maize,  wheat,  po- 


STREET  IN  OH)  MANILA, 


BESOURCES  AND  COMMERCE. 


95 


tatoes,  peas,  beans,  onions,  encumbers,  and  other 
vegetables,  all  of  which  are  grown  with  more  or 
less  success,  which  depends  verj^  largely  on  the 
way  the  crops  are  tended.  In  some  of  the 
southern  islands,  maize,  or  Indian  corn,  is  raised 
as  a substitute  for  rice ; but  there  is  no  foreign 
market  for  it,  and  its  cultivation  is  thus  limited. 
Wheat  and  rye  have  both  been  grown  success- 
fully. 

The  cacao-tree,  imported  from  Mexico  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  grows  well  in  the  Philip- 
pines, and  from  its  beans  is  obtained  a good 
chocolate.  The  castor-bean  grows  wild  here, 
and  its  oil  is  an  article  of  export.  Cinnamon 
of  a poor  quality,  ^ahi,  a turnip-shaped  plant  of 
little  value,  and  others  of  more  or  less  worth  are 
raised. 

Owing  to  the  restrictions  which  have  been 
placed  on  what  little  ambition  they  may  have 
possessed,  few  natives  own  plantations  or  lands 
of  any  extent.  In  order  to  do  so  he  must  not 
only  keep  a suitable  stock,  such  as  cattle,  at 
least  one  pig,  a dozen  hens  and  cock,  but  he 
must  plant  trees  adapted  to  the  soil,  and  raise 
cereals  and  vegetables  of  all  kinds.  In  most 


96 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


cases  the  land  has  been  taken  from  him  at  the 
end  of  two  years.  Spanish  progress  has  consisted 
principally  in  putting  a premium  on  indolence. 

The  cultivation  of  tobacco  ought  to  have  been 
made  profitable  in  the  Philippines,  where  every- 
body smokes,  and  at  all  times,  except  at  the 
short  time  spent  at  coffee.  The  Philippino 
smokes  at  his  place  of  business,  smokes  over 
his  work,  smokes  while  he  rests,  smokes  at  the 
opera  between  acts  and  while  he  waits  for  the 
audience  to  gather,  smokes  while  attending  di- 
vine worship,  in  fact  seems  to  smoke  at  all  times, 
at  home  and  abroad.  'With  the  feminine  sex  it 
is  almost  the  same,  for  women  of  all  ranks  and 
degrees  of  wealth  and  poverty,  young  and  old, 
pretty  and  plain,  are  to  be  seen  puffing  away  at 
their  cigarillos,  a kind  of  cigar  made  expressly 
for  them.  Neither  do  they  always  stop  to  get 
these,  but  help  themselves  to  brands  smoked  by 
husband,  brother,  or  father. 

The  history  of  the  island  commerce  is  on  the 
same  line  of  Spanish  mismanagement  as  that  of 
the  development  of  the  inland  industries.  From 
the  organisation  of  the  colonial  government  in 
1571,  to  the  rebellion  in  Mexico  in  1811,  a soli- 


RESOURCES  AND  COMMERCE. 


97 


tary  galleon,  of  fifteen  linndred  tons  burden, 
made  an  annual  trip  to  the  Philippines  and  re- 
turned, the  round  trip  taking  about  a year. 
Tills  vessel  came  from  the  islands  laden  with  a 
cargo  of  baled  Chinese  goods,  which  had  been 
obtained  from  them  in  exchange  for  the  produce 
paid  into  the  treasury  as  taxes  from  the  natives, 
and  was  known  as  the  tribute  of  the  Philippines. 
Returning,  this  same  galleon  to  the  Philippines 
bore  sundry  articles  of  manufacture  the  colonist 
needed,  some  stores,  and  coin  for  circulation, 
principally  with  the  Chinese.  This  comjirised 
the  Spanish  commerce  with  its  rich  colony  for 
nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  years. 

Besides  this  the  islands  had  more  or  less  trade 
with  India  and  Persia,  while  still  greater  traffic 
was  had  with  China.  But  no  Spaniard  was  per- 
mitted to  seek  either  country  for  business,  and 
must  content  himself  with  buying  what  was 
brought  his  way,  and  at  the  price  the  seller 
chose  to  fix. 

As  it  has  been  stated,  these  treasure-ships 
were  tempting  prey  for  the  corsairs  of  the  south- 
ern seas,  and  many  of  them  fell  into  the  hands 
of  these  watchful  freebooters.  Whenever  this 


98 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


happened  another  galleon  was  sent  to  take  the 
place  of  the  one  lost.  But  even  then  there  were 
periods  of  nearly  three  years  in  length,  when  no 
galleon  visited  the  Philippines. 

Upon  the  expulsion  of  the  Chinese  in  1755, 
the  closing  of  their  shops  brought  about  a stag- 
nation in  business,  which  took  a quarter  of  a 
century  to  revive,  and  cost  the  government  over 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  a year  in  taxes. 
The  collapse  of  business  caused  the  Spanish  to 
form  a large  stock  corporation  to  handle  goods, 
but  this  suffered  with  the  dry  rot  of  all  Spanish 
enterprises,  and  finally  failed. 

Spain’s  persistent  efforts  to  secure  a monopoly 
of  the  trade,  as  in  the  matter  of  the  industries, 
always  worked  against  herself  as  well  as  other 
powers.  It  was  not  until  1807  that  the  first 
foreign  house  was  permitted  to  establish  trade 
with  the  Philippines,  when  an  English  firm 
opened  business  in  Manila.  The  permission 
was  so  restricted  that  nothing  came  of  it, 
until  five  years  later,  when  it  became  more 
general.  In  1834  such  freedom  was  granted 
that  the  development  of  the  natural  re- 
sources of  the  islands  was  manifested,  and  the 


BE  SOURCES  AND  COMMERCE. 


99 


island  colony  was  opened  to  the  commerce  of 
the  world. 

This  begun,  or  in  fair  way  of  progress,  stupid 
Spain  began  to  burden  foreign  trade  with  enor- 
mous duties,  most  of  which  collections  went  into 
the  pockets  of  customs  officials  rather  than  into 
her  treasury.  Every  pretext  seemed  to  be  taken 
to  make  these  taxes  onerous,  and  to  put  the 
trader  to  every  inconvenience  possible.  It  is 
related  that  a certain  American  merchant  was 
heavily  fined  for  having  a cargo  a stone  short 
of  what  it  was  expected  to  be. 

Decrees  antagonistic  to  each  other,  but  unani- 
mous in  having  an  object  toward  driving  away 
foreign  trade,  were  issued  from  time  to  time, 
until  a royal  decree  was  put  forth  declaring  all 
others  should  be  subordinate  to  that,  which  abol- 
ished export  duties  and  the  still  more  pernicious 
port  charges.  But  this  did  not  seem  to  remedy 
the  evil,  and  in  1886  it  was  declared  that  foreign 
trade  was  detrimental  to  the  best  interests  of 
Spain  and  her  colony. 

In  addition  to  the  short-sighted  policy  of 
Spain,  which  has  ever  been  centuries  behind 
the  progress  of  the  world,  the  Philippinos  have 


100 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


never  had  any  real  idea  of  values,  and  they  have 
clung  to  the  behef  that  the  market  was  ruled  by 
the  whims  of  the  buyer.  This  came  naturally 
from  their  intercourse  with  the  Chinese,  who 
understood  them,  and  always  fixed  a scale  of 
prices  which  they  could  well  afford  to  reduce, 
and  the  native  felt  that  he  had  made  a good 
trade  if  he  had  caused  the  seller  to  drop  from 
his  original  price,  no  matter  how  high  that  may 
have  been.  As  well  as  lacking  in  judgment,  he 
fails  to  realise  the  importance  of  making  good 
any  agreement,  and  his  word  is  never  taken  to 
mean  literally  what  it  expresses. 

Another  serious  drawback  to  business  has 
been  the  faulty  facilities  of  transportation,  as 
has  already  been  mentioned.  Such  roads  as 
there  are,  during  the  rainy  seasons  are  rendered 
difficult  of  passage,  if  not  impassable,  while 
coast  navigation  at  these  times  is  dangerous. 
Only  one  railroad  on  the  islands  has  been  built, 
and  that  connects  Manila  with  Pangainan,  at 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  miles. 
It  is  of  single  track,  of  fairly  good  construc- 
tion, and  connects  the  capital  with  the  rice- 
growing districts. 


EESOUECES  AND  COMMEECE.. 


101 


The  principal  staples  of  export  have  been 
hemp,  sugar,  coffee,  cocoa,  and  tobacco,  raw  and 
manufactured.  The  chief  imports  have  been 
rice,  flour,  dress  goods,  wines,  coal,  and  petro- 
leum. The  total  imports  into  the  islands  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  revolution  in  1896  were 
valued  at  $10,631,250  ; the  exports  for  the  same 
year  amounted  to  $20,175,000.  The  great  bulk 
of  foreign  trade  was  received  by  the  Americans 
until  the  recent  troubles  with  Cuba,  just  before 
the  last  Spanish- American  war,  aroused  the  Span- 
iards to  such  abuses  as  to  drive  the  American 
representative  from  the  Philippines,  and  England 
profited  by  the  other’s  loss. 

Public  revenue  is  in  round  numbers  twelve 
million  dollars  per  annum,  raised  mostly  from 
direct  taxation,  customs,  monopolies,  and  lot- 
teries. The  basis  of  the  financial  system  is  the 
poll-tax,  which  every  male  and  female  under 
sixty  has  to  pay.  The  abuses  and  oppressions 
arising  from  this  system  burdened  the  common 
people,  until  they  became  unbearable.  But 
neither  Spain  nor  the  islands  profited  by  it  to 
any  extent.  The  prime  object  of  the  officials 
from  the  establishment  of  the  colony  to  the 


102 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


time  of  its  loss  to  Spain  seemed  to  be  to  reap 
the  spoils  of  office.  A native  historian,  Lala,  in 
speaking  of  tliis,  says : “ More  money  was  set 
aside  for  the  transportation  of  priests  than  for 
the  building  of  railroads,  while  ten  times  the 
sum  was  donated  to  the  support  of  the  Manila 
Cathedral  than  was  spent  for  improvements  and 
for  public  instruction.  Regarding  the  officials, 
from  the  governor-general  down  to  the  lowest 
underling,  they  seem  to  have  devoted  themselves 
industriously  to  robbing  the  people  with  one 
hand  and  the  government  with  the  other,  sowing 
a crop  of  hatred  of  the  Spaniard  and  of  Spanish 
rule,  which  had  its  harvest  in  the  fierce  insurrec- 
tion of  1896-98.”  All  of  which  is  too  evident 
to  be  disputed. 

For  three  centuries  lotteries,  cock-fights,  and 
gambling  were  the  most  popular  sources  of 
recreation  and  speculation.  The  suppression  of 
them  cost  the  government  enormous  loss  in 
revenue.  The  licenses  on  cock-fights  alone 
amounted  to  1 150,000  per  annum.  The  por- 
tion that  fell  to  the  state  from  the  monthly 
government  lotteries  reached  $600,000  a year. 
These  lotteries  were  not  only  popular  with  the 


BE  SOURCES  AND  COMMERCE. 


103 


Spaniards  and  Philippines,  but  with  the  English 
at  Manila,  Hong  Kong,  and  Singapore.  A series 
of  graduated  prizes  was  offered  for  tickets  costing 
ten  dollars,  proportional  parts  for  fractional  por- 
tions of  the  same.  The  grand  prize  of  $500,000 
was  a bait.  Every  merchant  deemed  it  a part 
of  his  business  to  invest  ten  dollars  at  every 
drawing.  The  smaller  prizes  usually  made  up  a 
portion  of  his  investment,  and  the  fascination  of 
the  fortune  which  headed  the  list  tempted  him 
to  try  again. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


MOST  NOTED  TOWNS. 


|F  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  Philippines, 


Manila,  the  capital  of  the  Archipelago, 
ranks  first  in  size  and  importance.  This  Venice 
of  the  Far  East  stands  on  both  banks  of  the  Rio 
Pasig,  on  a wide,  fertile  plain  slightly  elevated 
above  the  water.  Along  the  banks  of  the  stream 
are  still  to  be  seen  countless  remains  of  mussel- 
shells,  of  a kind  still  existing  in  the  surround- 
ing sea.  The  city  is  commonly  spoken  of  as 
“ old  and  new  Manila,”  by  which  it  is  to  be 
inferred  that  the  town  has  known  two  stages 
of  construction. 

That  portion  which  claims  precedence  on  ac- 
count of  its  earlier  existence  is  a walled  town, 
called  by  its  Malay  founders,  before  the  Spanish 
occupation  in  1571,  “Intramuros,”  and  is  situated 
on  a peninsula,  so  it  is  nearly  surrounded  by 
water.  The  Pasig  River  flows  in  front  or  on 


GOVERNOR  S PALACE,  MANILA. 


■ 


( 


MOST  NOTED  TOWNS.  105 

the  north,  the  sea  being  on  the  west,  while  the 
remaining  sides  are  flanked  by  moats.  The 
fortifications  were  built  about  1590  by  Chinese 
labour,  and  done  to  protect  the  town  from  the 
depredations  of  the  sea  pirates,  then  a great 
menace  to  the  safety  of  the  early  inhabitants 
of  the  islands.  The  moats  are  connected  with 
the  river  and  sea  by  sluices,  so  the  city  could  be 
isolated  at  short  notice.  There  are  six  gates^ 
three  to  the  north  on  the  road  to  the  river,  and 
as  mamy  more  on  the  land  side,  all  well  defended 
by  bastions.  The  public  entrance  is  now  through 
the  first  of  the  arates  on  the  river  road  and  called 

o 

the  Parian.  The  sluiceways  have  become  so 
filled  with  stagnant  water  as  to  be  a menace  to 
the  health  of  the  people. 

The  streets  of  Manila  are  narrow,  and  have  a 
dark,  oppressive,  monastic  atmosphere,  seeming 
decidedly  gloomy  in  these  modern  days.  Relig- 
ious processions  are  about  the  only  relief  af- 
forded the  secluded,  monotonous  life  of  the  town, 
the  sole  object  of  whose  builders  seems  to  have 
been  that  of  self-defence.  It  is,  perhaps,  need- 
less to  say  that  these  precautionary  works  are 
not  such  as  to  prove  very  effective  in  modern 


106 


THE  PEABL  OF  THE  OBIENT. 


warfare,  though  they  have  served  a good  pur- 
pose in  the  protection  of  the  city  against  the 
real  or  threatened  attacks  of  the  many  enemies 
of  Spanish  peace  in  the  years  gone  by. 

It  does  not  take  the  stranger  long  to  see  all 
that  interests  him  in  the  old  mart,  and  he  must 
cross  over  the  river  if  he  wishes  to  catch  a glimpse 
of  life  and  progress.  The  drawbridge  between 
the  two  parts  of  the  city  was  faithfully  closed  at 
nightfall  as  late  as  1852,  giving  to  the  walled 
town  the  appearance  of  one  of  the  feudal  cities 
of  the  middle  ages. 

The  business  section  of  Manila  is  the  suburb 
of  Binondo,  situated  opposite  the  older  portion 
of  the  town,  though  the  streets  are  as  narrow 
and  poorly  paved  as  in  the  other  part.  But 
along  the  main  thoroughfare,  lined  with  its  com- 
mercial warehouses,  bazaars,  and  shops  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  it  is  estimated  that  ten  thousand 
people  pass  and  repass  daily.  In  Binondo  are 
the  large  tobacco  factories,  which  employ  ten 
thousand  men,  women,  and  children,  earning  on 
an  average  about  fifteen  cents  a day.  But  with 
low  rents  and  cheap  rates  of  living,  they  manage 
to  get  along  quite  comfortably  on  even  this. 


MOST  NOTED  TOWNS. 


lOT 


The  clothing  for  the  men  is  merely  a pair  of 
thin  trousers,  and  for  the  women  an  equally 
simple  attire.  Chinese  shops  and  traders  are 
everywhere  seen,  and  some  of  these  Celestial 
merchants  are  very  rich. 

A suburb  called  Tondo  is  the  dwelling-place 
of  many  of  the  labouring  class,  the  extensive 
collections  of  their  huts,  thatched  with  nipa, 
presenting  a picturesque  appearance.  But  the 
drainage  around  these  dwellings  is  poor,  and 
this  part  of  the  city  is  very  unhealthy. 

Beyond  Binondo  is  the  suburb  of  San  Miguel, 
the  residential  part  of  Manila  for  the  most 
wealthy  class,  where  many  of  the  government 
officials  and  European  merchants  reside  in  ele- 
gant dwellings. 

Connected  to  the  walled  town  on  the  south  by 
the  Luneta,  or  beautiful  public  promenade  by 
the  old  sea-wall,  are  the  twin  suburbs  of  Ermita 
and  Malete.  Of  the  many  celebrated  and  attract- 
ive drives  of  Manila,  the  Luneta  stands  first,  a 
fashionable  resort  teeming  with  life  and  merri- 
ment in  the  cool  summer  evening,  and  yet  over- 
hung with  an  air  pervaded  with  tragic  memories. 
It  was  here  hundreds  of  prisoners  taken  in  the 


108 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


insurrection  of  1896  were  executed,  while  bands 
played  airs  of  lively  interest,  and  the  most  fash- 
ionable of  the  Spanish  inhabitants  waved  hand- 
kerchiefs and  cheered  in  grim  mockery  over  the 
fate  of  the  hapless  natives  facing  the  sea  from 
the  top  of  the  ancient  wall,  with  their  backs  to 
the  firing  squad  but  waiting  the  signal  to  shoot 
them  down  like  dogs.  It  is  often  the  case  that 
many  rebels  must  die  before  their  comrades  in 
arms  can  become  patriots. 

Before  the  recent  warlike  disturbances,  it  was 
a common  sight  to  see  the  banks  of  the  river, 
which  is  not  navigable  for  the  big  ocean  steam- 
ships, lined  with  schooners,  Chinese  junks,  long 
canoes  hewn  from  the  trunk  of  some  mighty 
tree,  small  dugouts  with  shades  of  nipa  palm 
leaves  and  outriggers  of  bamboo,  ferry-boats,  and 
other  craft  of  various  kinds  and  sizes,  each  doing 
its  part  in  the  passenger  and  business  traffic  of 
the  provinces.  All  the  smaller  craft  were  manned 
by  Tagalogs,  naked  above  the  waist,  or  wearing 
a shirt  allowed  to  fall  outside  of  their  thin  panta- 
loons. The  anchorage  for  the  vessels  visiting 
the  port  is  about  two  miles  southwest  from  the 
entrance  of  the  river,  and  ships  at  anchor  com- 


VILLAGE  IN  THE  SUIiUKIJS  OF  MANILA. 


MOST  NOTED  TOWNS. 


109 


municate  with  the  shore  by  boats  or  steam- 
launches,  the  handling  of  their  cargoes  being 
done  by  lighters.  Having  a circumference  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  nautical  miles,  Manila 
Bay  is  too  large  to  allow  proper  protection  to 
ships.  A few  years  ago  all  repairs  made  on  ves- 
sels had  to  be  done  at  Hong  Kong,  but  the 
patent  slip  near  Cavite  affords  sufficient  facilities 
now. 

Previous  to  1893  the  streets  of  Manila  were 
lighted  by  petroleum  lamps  or  cocoanut  oil,  but 
the  year  mentioned  an  electric  light  plant  was 
established,  and  the  old  way  of  lighting  the 
streets  succeeded  by  more  modern  methods.  The 
river  is  spanned  by  three  bridges,  one  of  them 
constructed  of  stone  and  iron.  Along;  the  streets 
rattle  vehicles  of  many  kinds  and  various  degrees 
of  antiquity,  the  most  respectable  of  which  is  the 
carruage,  or  two-horse  barouche,  rented  by  the 
most  wealthy ; the  quelis  is  a small,  square  two- 
wheeled trap,  the  driver  seated  high  up  in  front, 
with  seats  for  four  inside  ; the  caromata,  a native 
cart  drawm  by  one  poor  spechnen  of  a pony  in  a 
rope  harness.  This  ancient  styled  concern  is  a 
two-wheeled  affair,  which  reels  and  groans  as  it 


110 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


staggers  along  the  way  with  its  load  of  natives, 
Chinese,  or  sailors.  The  driver’s  place  is  with 
his  passengers,  and  if  the  seats  are  filled,  it  is 
not  considered  improper  for  him  to  sit  in  some 
one’s  lap. 

Tram-cars,  of  which  there  are  two  lines,  cross 
the  bridge  connecting  the  old  and  new  towns, 
and  for  four  cents  one  can  go  anywhere  within 
their  limits.  These  cars,  built  after  the  pattern 
of  other  countries,  are  drawn  by  small  ponies, 
plucky  and  hardy,  but  ill-used  and  incapable  of 
pulling  the  load  often  demanded  of  them. 

The  buildings  of  Manila,  outside  of  the  churches 
and  cathedral,  are  not  of  striking  or  unposing 
appearance,  a fact  due  largely  to  the  common 
occurrence  of  earthquakes.  A building  above 
two  stories  in  height  is  rarely  seen. 

The  church  edifices,  however,  are  of  interest 
from  their  architecture  and  their  historic  associa- 
tions. The  cathedral,  founded  in  1570,  has  been 
destroyed  by  earthquakes  and  rebuilt  several 
times.  The  imposing  structure  now  seen  was 
built  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  one  which  was 
destroyed  by  an  earthquake  in  1880.  It  is  built 
of  stone  and  brick  at  a cost  of  over  half  a million 


CA\  irK  AltSKNAL. 


MOST  NOTED  TOWNS. 


Ill 


dollars,  and  the  most  noteworthy  building  on  the 
islands.  It  is  in  the  heart  of  old  Manila,  and 
the  great  rehgious  processions  for  which  the 
town  is  famous  aU  start  here,  and  finally  come 
back  here  to  break  up. 

The  oldest  church  building,  also  in  old  Manila, 
is  the  Church  of  San  Francisco,  under  the  pat- 
ronage of  the  Franciscans.  This  is  one  of  the 
finest  edifices  to  be  found  anj^here. 

The  Roman  Catholic  is  the  established  church 
of  the  Philippines,  and  it  has  one  archiepiscopal 
see  and  three  bishoprics.  The  various  religious 
orders,  Dominicans,  Franciscans,  Augustinians, 
and  others,  have  been  the  real  power  behind  the 
throne  in  the  management  of  affairs,  and  to  them 
is  due  largely  the  misconduct  of  the  officials.  It 
is  far  behind  modern  ideas  of  progress,  and  in 
its  selfishness  has  retarded  rather  than  helped  to 
advance  the  enlightenment  of  the  native  races. 
As  a rule  priests  and  friars  from  Spain,  who 
have  come  to  stay,  have  been  sincere  in  their 
purpose,  though  their  overzeal  for  the  welfare 
of  the  Church  has  caused  them  to  commit  many 
grave  mistakes.  The  work  has  been  left  largely 
to  native  priests,  elevated  from  the  common 


112 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


classes,  who  could  not  be  expected  to  live  strictly 
up  to  the  severe  monastic  vows,  and  to  them  can 
be  traced  greater  evils  than  to  their  superiors. 
If  they  have  sought  consolation  in  diversions  not 
altogether  clerical,  it  shows  they  were  more  hu- 
man than  divine. 

Education  has  been  sadly  neglected,  and  per- 
haps here  has  been  the  greatest  blame  that  can 
be  attached  to  the  Church.  It  is  true  the  schools 
have  been  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  state,  but 
the  Church  has  been  powerful  enough  to  have 
raised  their  standard  if  it  had  chosen.  Nearly 
every  town  and  village  has  its  government  school, 
hut  the  methods  are  antiquated,  aud  the  results 
far  from  being  satisfactory.  Next  to  the  prome- 
nade on  the  Luneta,  the  people  flock  to  witness 
an  execution,  where  the  condemned  is  borne  in 
the  draped  death-cart,  followed  by  a long  proces- 
sion, and  accompanied  by  several  priests  to  his 
place  of  doom.  This  is  a raised  platform,  on 
which  is  a rude  seat  that  the  victim  accepts 
with  a grim  stoicism  peculiar  to  his  race.  He 
is  then  bound  to  a post  behind  him,  a heavy 
brass  collar,  the  deadly  garrote,  fastened  around 
his  neck  with  a click.  The  executioner  steps 


SOCIAL  KN'TKU  l AliN'-MICN  r ITN’DKH  SI’ANISII  KKIilME. 


MOST  NOTED  TOWNS. 


113 


to  one  side,  the  priests  cease  their  weird  chants, 
the  populace  for  a moment  hold  their  breath ; 
then  the  crucifix  is  lifted,  the  chant  resumed, 
the  doomed  wretch  tries  to  smile  and  say  his 
prayers  at  the  same  tune,  the  officer  raises 
one  hand,  the  executioner  twists  the  screw,  a 
shiver,  a groan,  and  the  spectators  turn  away 
with  a merriment  jarring  sadly  on  the  solemn 
scene. 

The  population  of  Manila  is  not  far  from  300,- 
000,  of  which  over  two-thirds,  or  200,000,  are 
natives,  nearly  one-sixth,  or  50,000,  are  Chinese 
half-castes,  40,000  are  Chinese,  5,000  are  Span- 
ish, or  Spanish  Creoles,  4,000  Spanish  half-castes, 
and  less  than  500  Europeans  and  other  white 
foreigners.  Manila  is  connected  with  Hong  Kong 
by  cable  and  by  a line  of  steamers.  A line 
of  steamers  running  to  Liverpool  maintains  a 
monthly  service  to  Europe,  touching  at  Singa- 
pore, Colombo,  Aden,  by  way  of  Suez,  Port  Said, 
and  Barcelona.  Several  local  steamers  ply  be- 
tween Manila  and  the  ports  of  the  other  islands. 
The  Philippine  capital  is  7,050  miles  from  San 
Francisco,  9,465  miles  from  Cadiz,  and  625  miles 
from  Hong  Kong. 

O O 


114 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


On  the  whole,  Manila  has  its  many  attractions, 
like  all  great  centres  of  population,  its  unpleas- 
ant features,  most  charmingly  surrounded  by  a 
scenery  of  tropical  picturesqueness. 

Second  only  in  importance  to  Manila,  and  with 
brighter  prospects  under  American  government, 
is  Iloilo,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Panay, 
and  situated  250  miles  south  of  the  former  city. 
Here  is  an  excellent  harbour,  well  protected,  one 
of  the  leading  seaports  of  the  islands.  Owing 
to  constant  sea  breezes,  it  is  cooler  and  more 
healthy  than  at  Manila,  while  typhoons  are 
less  common  and  earthquakes  of  very  seldom 
occurrence. 

Surrounding  is  a fertile  country,  which  is  good 
sugar-cane  land,  but  Iloilo  is  a manufacturing 
town,  many  cloths  and  fine  fabrics  being  woven 
here.  At  present  the  facilities  for  transportation 
from  different  parts  of  the  island  are  in  a bad 
state.  This  has  been  a port  more  than  any 
other  visited  by  American  ships,  and  it  is  destined 
to  be  a great  commercial  centre.  It  represents 
the  district  of  the  large  islands  of  Panay,  Cebu, 
and  Negros,  with  several  smaller  islands.  A 
large  part  of  the  traders  are  mestizos-Chinos, 


MOST  NOTED  TOWNS. 


115 


many  of  whom  have  accumulated  considerable 
property. 

The  third  city  of  importance  is  Cebu,  the  cap- 
ital of  the  island  by  that  name,  and  was  the  first 
city  founded  by  the  Spanish.  It  has  the  most 
celebrated  cathedral  on  the  islands,  many  thou- 
sands of  pilgrims  visiting  annually  the  shrine 
of  the  Holy  Child  of  Cebu.  The  best  roads  in 
the  Philippines  are  to  be  found  on  this  island, 
but  the  inhabitants  have  lacked  the  energy  and 
thrift  to  make  Cebu  the  port  it  should  be. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


STEUGGLES  FOR  LIBERTY. 

O 0 far  the  situation  has  been  viewed  from  the 
vantage-ground  of  the  Spanish  ; but  there'  is 
another  side  to  these  centuries  of  foreign  colonis- 
ation, another  and  deeper  shade  to  the  scenes  of 
tyranny  and  revolution.  Over  six  millions  of 
native-born  inhabitants,  though  of  mixed  races, 
and  nearly  one-fourth  of  them  outlaws  of  the 
jungles,  lagoons,  and  the  mountains,  have  a story 
of  their  own  waiting  for  the  historian  to  do  it 
justice.  It  is  not  a record  that  redounds  wholly 
to  their  credit.  “ Whom  the  gods  would  destroy 
they  first  make  mad,”  seems  to  have  been  the 
jiolicy  of  the  Spaniards  in  their  treatment  of  the 
Philippines,  and  the  servant  must  have  been 
other  than  human  had  he  not  retaliated  in  the 
manner  of  his  master. 

As  has  been  stated,  at  no  time  has  the  sover- 
eignty of  Spain  been  complete  over  the  Archi- 

116 


VILLAGE  OF  OLAS  PINAS,  ON  OUTSKIRTS  OF  MANILA, 


STRUGGLES  FOR  LIBERTY. 


117 


pelago,  or  anj'^vay  permanent  where  it  has 
reached.  The  Malay,  or  Philippino,  is  really 
the  only  race  Spain  has  domesticated.  It  may 
have  subdued  certain  individuals  of  other  nation- 
alities, but  the  tribe  as  a whole  still  roams  the 
wilderness  as  fierce  and  untamable  as  its  ances- 
tors in  the  days  of  Magellan  and  his  followers. 
In  no  sense  road-builders,  the  Spaniards  had  no 
way  of  penetrating  the  tropical  jungles,  where  at 
all  times  lurked  the  revengeful  Negritos,  the 
patriots  of  Pampanga,  the  Moslems  of  the  Min- 
danao, and  the  Sulu  Sultanate,  all  contestants  for 
a hberty  a foreign  power  would  wrest  from  them, 
rising:  in  rebelhon  first  on  one  island  and  then 
on  another,  one  generation  after  another  carry- 
ing on  the  long  struggle  for  liberty.  Still  the 
pressure  of  the  government  went  on,  drafting 
young  men  into  fighting  for  rights  which  they 
were  far  from  enjoying,  enslaving  them  in  labour, 
such  as  felling  the  heavy  timber  of  the  interior 
districts,  without  hope  of  a reward  for  their 
arduous  toil,  while  them  wives  were  tortured  for 
the  tribute  they  could  not  be  expected  to  raise, 
and  their  homes  left  to  despoliation ; still  the 
tyranny  of  the  Church,  which  not  only  robbed 


118 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


them  of  worshipping  according  to  their  own  de- 
sires, but  made  them  support  liberally  a religion 
they  did  not  believe  in,  continued  from  century 
to  century. 

An  insurrection  caused  by  religious  oppression 
took  place  on  the  island  of  Bohol  in  1662,  when 
the  natives  erected  a temple  in  the  wilderness 
and  proposed  to  worship  a god  of  their  own,  and 
to  escape  paying  tribute  to  one  which  they  did 
not  know.  They  were  finally  routed,  but  the 
exaction  of  the  Jesuitical  priests  a century  later 
brought  about  another  uprising  in  1774.  So 
strongly  did  the  rebels  rally  this  time  that  for 
thirty-five  years  they  maintained  their  inde- 
pendence, and  the  Jesuits  were  driven  from  the 
colony. 

At  the  time  of  the  Bohol  revolt  another  was 
ripe  in  Leyte,  when  the  natives  rose  in  a vain 
attempt  to  throw  off  the  Spanish  yoke.  Upon 
the  capture  of  the  native  chief,  his  head  was 
decapitated  and  placed  at  the  end  of  a long  pole 
carried  about  the  town  in  order  to  strike  terror 
to  the  hearts  of  the  vanquished  rebels.  Another 
was  burned  at  the  stake,  by  a people  who  pro- 
fessed to  be  Christian ! 


DAGAUl’AN,  KIO  HOllNO. 


STRUGGLES  FOR  LIBERTY. 


119 


Seven  years  later  an  attempt  was  made  in 
eastern  Mindanao  to  escape  Spanish  dominion, 
and  three  years  of  bush  warfare  were  required 
to  put  down  the  rebellion,  during  which  four 
villages  were  burned  and  as  many  priests  put  to 
death. 

In  1649  a series  of  riots  opened,  owing  to  a 
refusal  on  the  part  of  the  natives  to  cut  the  gov- 
ernment thnber  without  pay.  These  revolts  are 
filled  with  deeds  too  dark  and  inhuman  to  be 
described,  the  savage  cruelty  of  the  natives  always 
more  than  equalled  by  the  barbarities  of  their 
Spanish  oppressors. 

A serious  outbreak  occurred  in  1872,  instigated 
by  some  friars  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  the  ban- 
islunent  of  some  families  with  views  too  liberal 
to  suit  their  fanatical  ideas.  Besides  these,  which 
are  only  a few  specimens  shorn  of  their  awful 
indignities,  the  list  might  be  continued,  always 
with  the  same  grievance  of  Church  and  state 
tyranny,  closing  with  identical  barbaric  chastise- 
ment, but  each  time  with  added  strength  on 
the  part  of  the  insurgents.  Stories  of  Spanish 
atrocities  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  came  often  to 
the  knowledge  of  American  and  European  conn- 


120 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


tries,  but  the  great  Pacific  Archipelago  was  too 
far  removed  from  the  centres  of  modern  civilisa- 
tion to  attract  attention,  until  the  revolution  of 
1896  was  an  appeal  heard  around  the  world. 

The  causes  which  had  led  up  to  this  were  the 
same  as  heretofore,  the  tyranny  of  the  ruling 
party,  the  demands  of  the  Church,  the  burdens 
of  an  exorbitant  taxation,  and  heavy  fees  of 
many  kinds.  In  order  to  unite  themselves  for 
protection,  the  insurgents  had  formed  a secret 
organisation  called  the  Katijpunan.  Upon  learn- 
ing of  this  mysterious  body,  with  its  strength 
and  numbers  unknown,  for  the  first  time  the 
priesthood  became  alarmed.  This  league  really 
numbered  over  fifty  thousand  men  ready  to  strike 
a blow  when  the  moment  came,  and  the  province 
of  Cavite  becoming  the  muster-ground  of  the 
rebel  forces,  gatherings  of  the  uprisers  soon 
became  common  in  the  province  of  Batangas. 
The  headquarters  of  the  first  body  wms  fixed  at 
Silan,  where  a young  schoolmaster  by  the  name 
of  Emilio  Aguinaldo  laid  aside  his  text-books  to 
teach  to  this  unarmed  rabble  of  discontented 
people  the  manual  of  arms  and  to  unite  them 
into  closer  bonds  of  union  by  the  inspiration  of 


SULU  ^VOMAN 


STRUGGLES  FOB  LIBERTY. 


121 


liis  own  passion  for  freedom.  Born  at  Imus  in 
1869,  this  zealous  advocate  of  liberty,  then  but 
twenty-seven  years  old,  at  once  showed  greater 
powers  of  organisation  and  discipline  than  any 
of  the  so-called  leaders  before  him.  Intelligence 
reaching  him  that  the  priests  had  discovered  the 
secret  of  the  masonic  league  among  his  country- 
men, and  that  the  Spanish  were  premeditating 
measures  to  capture  the  leaders,  Aguinaldo,  on 
the  31st  of  August,  1896,  issued  his  first  mani- 
festo, which  was  simply  a stirring  appeal  to  his 
downtrodden  race  to  rally  in  a desperate  fight 
for  freedom. 

The  foresight  or  good  fortune  of  the  insurgents 
in  establishing  themselves  in  the  situation  that 
they  did  is  shown  by  the  position  of  the  strong- 
hold of  that  island,  Cavite.  The  Bay  of  Manila 
is  thirty  miles  in  length,  running  north  and 
south,  and  is  nearly  twenty-five  in  width,  too 
large  to  afford  ample  protection  to  ships  within 
its  waters.  But  the  entrance  to  this  port  is  be- 
tween the  perpendicular  sides  of  two  volcanic 
mountains.  The  island  of  Corregidor,  rising 
above  the  water  six  hundred  and  forty  feet,  lies 
in  the  channel,  while  just  beyond  is  the  island  of 


122 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


Caballo,  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  height, 
both  well  fortified,  and  having  lighthouses. 
Commanding  the  passage  to  the  bay  are  the 
fortifications  of  Cavite,  ten  miles  distant  from 
the  capital.  Cavite  has  a population  of  five 
thousand,  a garrison  of  five  hundred  men,  and  a 
patent  slip  where  needed  repairs  could  be  made 
to  disabled  vessels.  Cavite,  then,  was  the  key 
to  Manila. 

Immediately  after, issuing  his  manifesto  simul- 
taneously from  Novaleta  and  San  Francisco  de 
Malabon,  Aguinaldo  marched  the  insurgent  army 
against  Imus,  and  on  the  1st  of  September  he 
captured  that  town,  securing  thirteen  priests  as 
prisoners.  These  were  treated  most  inhumanely. 
One  was  cut  to  pieces ; another  spitted  on  bam- 
boo sticks,  bathed  in  oil,  and  set  on  fire.  The 
treatment  accorded  the  remaining  prisoners  need 
not  be  described.  The  heartless  execution  of 
their  countrymen  on  the  wall  of  Luneta  was  still 
fresh  in  their  minds,  and  the  compact  made  by 
Spanish  officers  at  a recent  banquet  in  Manila, 
“ to  shoot  the  savages  like  wild  beasts  in  their 
lair,  without  showing  quarter,”  was  still  ran- 
kling in  their  breasts.  One  crime  does  not  atone 


NATIVE  OF  MALABON  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 


STBUGGLES  FOR  LIBERTY. 


123 


for  another,  but  as  yet  the  Spaniard,  with  his 
thumb-screw,  stake,  and  rack,  had  shown  himself 
the  greater  savage. 

Some  captives  who  fell  into  Aguinaldo’s  per- 
sonal keeping  shared  honest  treatment,  and  it 
was  evident  that  he  was  more  humane  than  his 
followers,  if  powerless  or  disinclined  to  interfere 
with  the  punishment  inflicted  on  the  captives  of 
those  under  him. 

The  village  of  Imus  amounted  to  little,  being 
a few  rude  huts,  with  one  fortified  house  belong- 
ing to  the  Religious  Corporation,  but  its  situation 
and  the  capture  of  the  priests  who  had  fled  there 
for  fancied  security  were  important.  Establish- 
ing themselves  here,  while  making  further  in- 
trenchments  at  Novaleta,  the  insurgents  seized 
two  towns.  Las  Pinas  and  Paranaque,  nearer  to 
Manila,  which  was  about  fourteen  miles  from 
Imus.  Astonished  at  this  daring  manoeuvre  of 
the  rebels,  General  Blanco,  at  the  head  of  five 
thousand  Spanish  troops,  hesitated  about  trying 
to  repel  the  insurgents,  claiming  that  to  do  so 
would  leave  the  city  exposed  without  sufficient 
protection. 

Soon,  however,  the  Spanish  forces  were  in- 


124 


THE  PEAEL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


creased  to  about  twenty  thousand,  and  the  insur- 
gents, many  of  them  without  arms,  were  checked 
in  their  triumphal  march,  and  obliged  to  retreat 
to  the  mountains  near  the  capital,  where  they 
began  to  intrench  themselves.  Their  force  now 
numbered  about  seven  thousand,  not  more  than 
one  in  four  of  them  having  firearms.  In  the 
provinces  of  Bulacan  and  Pampanga  a legion  of 
three  thousand  or  more  had  rallied  under  the 
leadership  of  a half-breed,  named  Llaneros. 

In  October,  1896,  the  Kepublic  of  Tagal  was 
organised,  and  Andreas  Bonifacio  was  declared 
its  President.  Bonifacio  did  not  live  long  to 
hold  his  honours,  and  immediately  after  his 
death  Aguinaldo  was  chosen  President  and  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  army. 

At  this  time  was  being  enacted  one  of  the 
most  romantic  and  melancholy  tragedies  of  the 
bloody  and  protracted  drama  of  insurrection. 
Among  the  many  friends  and  sympathisers  of 
the  insurgents  outside  of  their  ranks  was  the 
president  of  the  Manila  University,  and  physi- 
cian and  statesman,  named  Jose  Bizal.  Doctor 
Rizal  had  been  educated  in  Europe,  travelled 
extensively,  and  written  two  books  on  the  situa- 


EJriLIO  AGUINALDO. 


STRUGGLES  FOB  LIBERTY. 


125 


tion  in  the  Philippines,  one  of  them  intended  to 
arouse  the  dormant  patriotism  of  the  subjugated 
race.  This  so  aroused  the  priesthood  that  a sys- 
tematic seizure  of  his  property  was  begun,  which 
only  ended  when  he  had  been  despoiled  of  every- 
thing in  his  home  and  his  house  burned  over 
his  head.  He  was  then  declared  to  be  at  the 
head  of  a conspiracy  to  raise  a company  of  emi- 
grants to  found  a republic  on  the  island  of 
Borneo,  and  arrested.  After  a brief  trial  he 
was  sentenced  to  be  exiled  to  the  island  of  Mata- 
pan,  where  he  remained  until  about  the  time  of 
the  breaking  out  of  the  revolution  of  1896. 

Naturally  expecting  that  he  would  resent  the 
treatment  he  had  received,  and  fearing  so  able  a 
man,  he  was  again  arrested,  under  the  charge  of 
being  concerned  in  the  rebellion.  Though  his 
sympathies  were  with  the  insurgents,  it  is  very 
doubtful  if  he  advised  a resort  to  arms.  In 
spite  of  his  protests  of  innocence,  at  what  was 
merely  a trial  in  appearance,  he  was  condemned 
to  be  shot  on  the  30th  of  December,  1896. 

Doctor  Rizal  had  many  friends  and  S3rmpa- 
thisers  in  his  misfortunes  outside  of  the  insur- 
gents, and  the  most  loyal  of  them  was  a woman. 


126 


THE  PEARL  OF  TEE  ORIENT. 


young  and  beautiful.  Her  name  was  Josephine 
Bracken,  and  she  was  the  daughter  of  an  Irish 
sergeant  in  the  British  army,  who  at  the  end  of 
his  military  service  settled  at  Hong  Kong,  where 
she  was  born.  Her  father  falling  under  the 
medical  treatment  of  Doctor  Eizal,  she  met  the 
latter,  and  a mutual  attachment  sprang  up  be- 
tween them,  so  that  they  were  engaged  to  be 
married  at  the  time  of  his  last  arrest. 

Nearly  frantic  over  her  lover’s  sentence.  Miss 
Bracken  did  all  in  her  power  to  save  him.  But 
her  efforts  availed  nothing.  Finding  this  to  be 
the  case,  to  show  her  faith  in  him,  and  that  she 
might  better  fight  for  his  good  name,  she  pro- 
posed that  they  be  married  even  under  the  shadow 
of  death.  Thus  on  the  fateful  morning  of  the 
30th,  at  five  x\.  m.,  the  unhappy  lovers  were  united 
in  marriage  by  the  chaplain  of  the  forces,  and  in 
the  presence  of  the  officers  of  the  guard.  It  was 
a most  affecting  scene,  and  an  hour  later  the 
doomed  bridegroom  was  marched  under  an  escort 
of  the  artillery  regiment  to  the  Campo  de  Bag- 
umbayan,  back  of  the  Luneta,  Manila’s  most 
beautiful  and  yet  most  tragical  spot. 

It  lacked  an  hour  of  the  time  appointed  for 


STRUGGLES  FOB  LIBERTY. 


127 


the  execution,  but  under  the  pretence  that  an 
uprising  was  likely  to  take  place  in  order  to 
rescue  the  prisoner,  the  unfortunate  man  was 
bound  hand  and  foot,  placed  near  one  of  the 
lamp-posts,  with  his  face  to  the  sea  and  his  back 
to  his  executioners,  to  be  shot  like  a common 
traitor.  So  perished,  without  any  evidence  of 
guilt  of  wrong,  the  noblest  and  most  intellectual 
patriot  of  the  Philippines. 

Following  the  sad  termination  of  her  brief 
married  life,  Madame  Rizal  joined  the  insurgents 
at  Imus,  where  she  was  greeted  as  a modern 
Joan  of  Arc.  Accepting  the  command  of  a com- 
pany of  the  rebels,  she  showed  her  bravery  and 
prowess  with  arms,  by  leading  them  to  several 
victories  over  the  hated  enemy. 

During  the  succeeding  year  a desultory  warfare 
was  kept  up,  so  favourable  in  its  general  results 
that  the  Spanish,  on  the  14th  of  December,  1897, 
gladly  signed  a treaty  of  peace,  known  as  the 
Pact  of  Biaonabato,  from  the  town  where  the 
instrument  was  drawn.  By  the  terms  of  this 
pact  Aguinaldo,  as  the  commander-in-chief,  was 
to  receive  in  trust  four  hundred  thousand  pesetas, 
to  be  placed  in  the  Bank  of  Hong  Kong  as  a 


128 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


fund,  the  accumulation  of  which  was  to  be 
devoted  toward  giving  native  youth  an  English 
education.  Such  reforms  as  the  disorganisa- 
tion of  religious  orders,  native  representation  in 
the  Cortes,  equal  justice  in  court  with  the  Span- 
ish, unity  of  foreign  and  domestic  laws,  the 
Philippino  to  share  in  the  offices,  the  matter 
of  taxation  to  be  equalised  and  lightened,  the 
individual  rights  of  natives  to  be  allowed,  the 
liberty  of  the  press  and  general  amnesty,  were 
conceded. 

On  the  part  of  the  insurgents,  Aguinaldo  and 
the  most  prominent  leaders  with  him  agreed  to 
leave  the  Archipelago  for  three  years,  and  that 
they  would  make  no  trouble  for  the  colony  dur- 
ing that  time.  Their  followers  laid  down  their 
arms,  forts  were  surrendered,  ammunition  given 
up,  and  all  advantages  so  far  gained  abandoned 
by  the  rebels.  The  first  stage  of  the  rebellion 
ended  here. 

General  Emilio  Aguinaldo  y Famy  is  the  son 
of  a planter  in  humble  circumstances.  He  was 
educated  at  the  College  of  St.  Jean  de  Lateran 
and  the  University  of  St.  Thomas  in  Manila.  He 
proved  a dull  scholar,  and  upon  the  death  of  his 


STBUGGLES  FOE  LIBEBTT. 


129 


father,  before  he  had  completed  his  full  course, 
was  obliged  to  return  home. 

Soon  after  he  was  suspected  of  being  at  the 
head,  or  among  the  leaders,  of  the  order  of 
Katipunan,  which  was  believed  to  have  a mem- 
bership of  a quarter  of  a million.  In  this  league 
were  many  free  masons,  who  were  among  the 
most  bitter  against  the  friars,  who  have  ever 
been  at  enmity  with  that  fraternity.  Not  many 
years  since  three  thousand  masons  were  seized 
on  a slight  pretext,  and  placed  in  irons.  It  was 
now  feared  by  the  priests  that  this  order  would 
join  with  the  native  league,  and  active  measures 
were  taken  to  crush  out  the  latter.  A squad  of 
native  soldiers  under  command  of  a Spanish 
officer  was  sent  to  capture  Aguinaldo.  Upon 
being  met  by  the  demand  to  surrender,  he 
quickly  felled  the  captain,  and  then  induced 
liis  followers  to  fly  to  the  mountains  with  him. 
Nothing  serious  seemed  to  come  of  this  affair, 
and  he  came  to  the  front  at  the  very  outset 
of  the  struggle  around  Manila.  So  fiercely 
did  the  Spanish  hate  him  that  a reward  of 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  was  offered  for  his 
head.  It  is,  perhaps,  somewhat  singular  that 


130 


THE  PEABL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


no  one  in  his  ranks  attempted  to  betray  him  or 
take  his  life. 

Like  all  of  the  Philippines,  he  is  short  in 
figure,  but  with  a closely  knit  frame.  He  has  a 
swarthy  skin,  coal-black  hair  which  he  wears 
pompadour,  and  a countenance  which  gives  little 
if  any  expression  of  his  true  feelings.  He  has 
surrounded  himself  with  shrewd  advisers,  though 
seldom  listening  to  their  counsels.  That  he  is  a 
man  of  great  influence  over  his  countrymen  has 
been  evident  from  the  beginning.  No  one  has 
ever  doubted  his  bravery,  many  have  extolled 
his  patriotism,  but  the  depth  of  his  sincerity 
remains  to  be  proven. 


i 


CHAPTER  X. 


AMERICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 

N tlie  25th  of  April,  1898,  war  was  formally 


declared  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain,  and  on  the  following  day  Commodore 
Dewey,  commander  of  the  American  fleet  then 
lying  in  the  harbour  of  Hong  Kong,  received 
this  message ; 


Washington,  April  26. 


u 


“ Dewet,  Asiatic  Squadron : — Commence  op- 
erations at  once,  particularly  against  the  Spanish 
fleet.  You  must  capture  or  destroy  them. 


“ McKinley.” 


This  squadron,  which  had  just  exchanged  its 
coat  of  white  for  the  gray  of  war,  every  officer 
and  seaman  of  which  was  impatient  to  move 
against  the  enemy,  consisted  of  the  flagship 
Olympia,  Captain  Charles  V.  Gridley  command- 
ing, with  Commodore  Dewey  on  board ; Boston, 
Captain  Frank  Wildes ; Concord,  Commander 


132 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


Asa  Walker;  Petrel,  E.  P.  Wood;  joined  by  the 
Paleigh,  under  command  of  Captain  J.  B.  Cogli- 
lan,  and  the  Baltimore,  Captain  N.  M.  Dyer  com- 
manding. No  time  was  lost  in  heading  for 
Manila,  and  on  the  30th  of  April  the  island  of 
Luzon  was  sighted.  Keeping  in  the  background 
until  after  nightfall,  the  fleet  advanced  in  single 
flle,  the  Olympia  leading,  slowly  and  cautiously 
approaching  the  southern  and  more  narrow  en- 
trance to  the  bay.  The  lights  on  the  ships  had 
all  been  extinguished,  except  the  one  astern,  but 
the  sub-tropic  moon,  flooding  their  pathway  with 
a yellowish  hght  that  on  the  calm  sea  looked 
like  a foil  of  gold,  made  the  scene  sufficiently 
bright  for  them. 

A constant  lookout  for  the  Spanish  fleet  sup- 
posed to  be  moored  somewhere  in  that  vicinity 
was  maintained,  but  no  sign  of  the  enemy  was 
seen  and  the  American  fleet  kept  on,  increasing 
its  speed  so  as  to  get  as  far  inside  as  possible 
before  being  discovered.  The  men  were  at  the 
guns  ready  for  instant  action,  while  unchallenged 
the  line  of  war-ships  sped  along  the  perilous 
passage,  mined  with  its  submarine  explosives,  the 
grim  device  of  destruction  liable  to  explode  at 


SCENE  IX  SUBURBS  OF  JIAXILA. 


AMERICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


133 


any  moment  with  the  power  to  hurl  them  all 
into  eternity.  The  commander  had  learned  his 
part  under  the  indomitable  Farragnt,  and,  as  on 
the  memorable  occasion  that  made  the  other 
famous,  Commodore  Dewey  calmly  awaited  the 
result  of  his  hazardous  dash  past  the  frowning 
ramparts  of  the  Spanish  fortifications  on  the  isle 
of  Corregidor,  regardless  of  the  torpedoes  set  to 
catch  the  unwary. 

Past  the  dark  fortress  of  Corregidor  swept  the 
squadron  without  raising  an  alarm,  until  a cloud 
of  sparks,  flying  from  the  smoke-stack  of  the 
2IcCulloc]i,  a convoy  with  two  transports,  Nashan 
and  Zapiro,  gave  the  first  warning  to  the  Spanish. 
A bugle  sounded  the  alarm  on  the  shore,  followed 
by  a shrill  whistle  and  the  boom  of  a cannon. 
This  was  the  opening  shot  of  the  battle  of 
Cavite  and  of  the  war.  It  was  then  quarter 
past  eleven. 

Not  until  the  Spanish  had  fired  their  third 
shot,  with  their  usual  inaccuracy,  did  the  Boston 
fire  the  first  gun  on  the  part  of  the  Americans. 
Another  missile  -from  the  shore  hurtled  over 
their  heads,  and  the  Concord  sent  a six-inch 
shell  into  the  battery,  which  silenced  the  guns. 


134 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


In  tlie  gray  light  of  morning  the  Spanish  squad- 
ron was  discovered  at  anchor  off  Cavite. 

In  order  to  get  a knowledge  of  the  true  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy,  Commodore  Dewey  moved 
steadily  across  the  bay,  and  swinging  about  led 
the  way  on  the  first  circuit  of  the  inland  waters 
at  six  minutes  past  five,  on  Sunday  morning. 
May  1st.  The  Olympia  was  followed  in  un- 
broken line  by  the  Baltimore,  Raleigh,  Petrel, 
Concord,  and  Boston,  which  order  was  main- 
tained throughout  the  action.  Old  Glory  was 
streaming  from  every  masthead,  and  the  patriotic 
airs  of  the  drum  rang  far  and  wide  on  the  still 
atmosphere  of  that  Sabbath  morn,  as  the  little 
fleet  bore  down  upon  the  sullen  ships  of  Spain. 
Two  mines  exploded  ahead  of  the  Olymgna,  but, 
undeterred,  the  squadron  continued  to  advance, 
until  at  forty-one  minutes  past  five  it  swept  within 
four  thousand  yards  of  the  enemy,  when  at  the 
signal  the  cannon  of  the  six  ships  sent  their  mis- 
siles with  deadly  aim  into  the  Spanish  fleet. 

The  answer  was  given  with  a terrific  roar, 
but  the  Spanish  gunners  failed  to  make  a single 
effective  shot,  while  the  American  ships  swung 
around  in  the  circle  to'  give  another  broadside  at 


OLYMPIA. 


AMEBIC  A IN  THE  ORIENT. 


135 


the  right  time.  As  they  passed  the  battery  on 
the  west  a closer  fire  than  that  from  the  ships 
was  dhected  upon  them,  but  with  line  unbroken 
the  American  fleet  made  its  second  round,  pass- 
ing this  time  within  three  thousand  yards  of  the 
bewildered  Spaniards,  giving  a more  destructive 
cannonade  than  before.  Wild  disorder  now 
reigned  everywhere  among  the  enemy.  The 
Spanish  admiral’s  flagship,  Reina  Christina,  was 
on  fire,  and  it  had  to  be  run  ashore  near  the  fort 
of  Cavite.  Admiral  Montojo’s  flag  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Castilla,  which  was  already  disabled, 
and  sank  a few  minutes  later.  Other  ships  of 
the  squadron  were  on  fire  or  sinking,  so  that  a 
little  past  seven  the  only  Spanish  ship  in  fighting 
order  was  the  Don  Juan  de  Austria.  The  smoke 
now  hung  so  dense  over  the  scene  that  it  was 
impossible  to  see  either  friend  or  foe. 

The  three  batteries  at  Manila,  one  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Pasig  Eiver,  the  second  on  the 
south  bastion  of  the  walled  town,  and  the  third 
at  Malate,  about  half  a mile  farther  south,  had 
all  kept  up  their  firing,  which  had  not  been 
answered.  But  now  Commodore  Dewey  sent  a 
message  to  the  governor-general  that  if  he  did 


136 


THE  PEABL  OF  THE  OEIENT. 


not  cease  firing  lie  slionld  shell  the  city.  The 
guns  immediately  became  silent,  and  at  a signal 
the  Americans  stopped  firing.  Then,  at  thirty- 
five  minutes  past  seven,  the  six  ships  stood  off 
toward  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay,  where  all 
hands  were  piped  to  a well-earned  brealffast. 

At  a quarter  past  eleven  the  attack  was 
resumed,  but  it  proved  that  the  brunt  of  the 
battle  had  been  borne.  The  entfie  Spanish 
squadron  was  in  flames,  and  inside  of  three- 
fourths  of  an  hour  the  American  fleet  returned 
and  anchored  off  Manila,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Petrel,  left  to  complete  the  destruction  of 
the  gunboats.  The  gallant  commander-in-chief 
was  then  able  to  send  his  graphic  despatch  to 
Washington:  “I  have  executed  jmur  orders!” 
Then  he  proceeded  to  cut  the  cables. 

The  loss  on  the  part  of  the  Spanish  was 
heavy,  though  not  exactly  known.  Three  vessels 
were  sunk,  Reina  Christina,  Castilla,  Don  An- 
tonio de  Ulloa  ; seven  were  burned,  ^dz.,  Isla  de 
Cuba,  Isla  de  Luzon,  General  Lezo,  Marquis  del 
Duero,  El  Correo  Valasco,  and  Isla  de  Min- 
danao, a transport.  Several  small  launches  and 
two  tugs,  the  Rapido  and  Hercides,  were  cap- 


BALTIMORE, 


AMERICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


137 


tured.  The  Americans  did  not  lose  a man, 
■while  but  seven  -were  ■wounded. 

Commodore  De^wey’s  victory  at  Cavite  at  once 
sho-wed  that,  in  order  to  foUo'w  up  the  advan- 
tages so  far  earned,  it  ■was  necessary  to  augment 
the  naval  force  with  a reinforcement  of  land 
troops,  before  the  capture  of  Manila  and  the 
island  of  Luzon  could  be  attempted.  San  Fran- 
cisco was  selected  as  the  best  located  mustering- 
ground,  and  so  promptly  did  the  United  States 
government  act  that  the  first  reghnent  of  volun- 
teers, the  Second  Oregon,  reached  the  Philippines 
on  the  loth  of  May,  1898.  Three  days  later 
Major-General  Wesley  Merritt  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  Department  of  the  Pacific.  On 
the  30th  of  June  the  first  expedition  to  the  Phil- 
ippines, under  Brigadier-General  Thomas  M.  An- 
derson, arrived  off  Manila ; July  17th  the  second 
expedition,  under  Brigadier-General  F.  V.  Greene, 
joined  the  other;  and  on  the  31st  of  July  the 
third  fleet  of  transports,  with  troops  in  command 
of  Brigadier-General  Arthur  McArthur,  reached 
the  scene  of  action.  The  three  expeditions  ag- 
gregated a force  of  470  officers,  and  10,464 
enlisted  men. 


138 


THE  PEAEL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


Meanwhile  Commodore  Dewey  remained  mas- 
ter of  the  bay  of  Manila,  his  ships  passing  to  and 
fro  unmolested  by  the  Spanish.  Aguiualdo  had 
returned  from  Hong  Kong  on  the  24th  of  May, 
and  offered  to  cooperate  with  the  Americans  in 
their  campaign  against  the  Spanish.  The  latter 
had  broken  their  pact  with  him,  and  he  declared 
himself  dictator  of  the  island,  forbidding  his 
people  from  making  any  further  terms  with  the 
Spaniards. 

Under  the  stimulus  of  Dewey’s  first  victory, 
the  insurgents  rallied  under  their  old  leader,  and 
inside  of  a month  they  had  captured  the  province 
of  Cavitd,  with  sixteen  hundred  Spanish  pris- 
oners, two  batteries,  and  over  four  thousand  rifles. 
Other  victories  succeeded,  and  in  July  Aguinaldo 
announced  himself  President  of  the  Philippine 
Republic.  At  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the 
third  expedition  from  the  United  States  he  had 
established  his  headquarters  at  Bacoor,  had  or- 
ganised executive  and  legislative  departments, 
and  thus  came  into  control  of  an  independent 
government. 

Aguinaldo,  in  a correspondence  with  the  com- 
mander of  the  United  States  forces,  was  profuse 


'i 


* 

'{  \f  - 1 


AMERICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


139 


in  his  declarations  of  assistance  to  them  in  every 
way  possible,  but  stipulated  that  the  American 
troops  should  not  land  on  territory  that  had 
been  seized  by  the  insurgents.  This  correspond- 
ence ended  with  this  declaration  on  the  24th  of 
July.  The  insurgents  occupying  the  territory 
between  the  American  troops  under  General 
Greene  and  the  Spanish,  made  it  impossible  for 
our  forces  to  advance  without  breaking  this  de- 
mand made  by  the  insurgent  chief.  Finally^ 
however,  Aguinaldo’s  consent  was  gained,  and 
the  troops  advanced  to  a position  in  front  of  that 
taken  by  the  insurgents.  This  brought  about 
the  engagement  on  the  night  of  July  31st,  when 
six  men  of  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  and  four  men 
of  other  regiments  were  killed,  including  Captain 
Pitcher  of  the  First  California. 

The  construction  of  trenches  was  now  vigor- 
ously pushed,  the  transports  landed  under  great 
difficulties,  so  that  on  the  7th  of  August  General 
Merritt  and  Admiral  Dewey  together  requested 
the  surrender  of  Manila,  under  threat  of  a bom- 
bardment of  the  town  within  forty-eight  hours. 
The  Spanish  delaying  their  reply  under  one  pre- 
tence and  another,  on  the  13th,  according  to  the 


140 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


understanding  between  the  navy  and  the  troops 
on  shore,  the  former  opened  a bombardment 
upon  the  line  of  the  Spanish  intrenchments. 
After  an  hour  of  this  attack,  the  troops  under 
Generals  Greene  and  McArthur  occupied,  though 
not  without  some  earnest  fighting,  the  line  of 
the  enemy  for  a considerable  distance.  As  the 
Spanish  retreated  toward  the  walled  city,  they 
blew  up  or  burned  their  works.  The  flag  of 
truce  soon  followed  the  retreat  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  General  Merritt  immediately  proceeded  to 
meet  Commander-General  Jaudanes  at  the  gov- 
ernment building,  where  terms  of  capitulation 
were  hastily  drafted  and  signed. 

Fearing  with  good  reasons  that  if  the  insur- 
gents were  allowed  to  enter  the  city  they  would 
commit  outrages  and  depredations  foreign  to 
civilised  warfare,  the  Americans  took  every  pre- 
caution to  prevent  them  from  doing  it.  This 
was  done  so  successfully  that  no  crime  was 
committed. 

The  Spanish  were  still  holding  in  check  the 
lines  most  distant  from  the  city,  and  these  were 
reheved  the  next  day,  when  the  American  cap- 
ture of  Manila  was  complete.  Having  virtually 


MAJOK  - GENERAL  WESLEA"  MERRITT. 


' 


(I 


AMEBICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


141 


paralysed  tke  power  of  Spain  in  the  Philippines, 
the  Americans  suddenly  found  themselves  con- 
fronted by  a new  antagonist,  that  not  only 
ignored  the  favour  just  done  them  in  freeing 
them  from  the  Spanish  yoke,  but  demanded  pro- 
tection without  being  willing  to  make  any  con- 
cession to  the  new  power  in  the  Orient.  How 
far  their  claims  were  based  on  equitable  footing 
yet  remains  a mooted  question. 

The  provisional  government  which,  under  the 
dictation  of  Aguinaldo,  assumed  control  of  affairs 
in  the  Philippines,  upon  the  overthrow  of  the 
Spanish  domination,  was  a military  despotism. 
The  President  was  general  of  the  armed  forces, 
and  the  offices  of  the  government  throughout 
the  islands  were  filled  by  military  men  under 
him.  In  justice  to  the  leader  of  this  regime,  it 
should  be  recognised  that  he  claimed  this  pre- 
rogative only  as  long  as  war  should  last,  but  at 
the  same  time  it  lay  in  his  province  to  place 
upon  the  people  under  him  a yoke  as  gallmg  as 
that  which  the  Americans,  not  his  followers, 
had  thrown  off.  How  well  this  promise  of  the 
insurgent  chief  would  have  stood  the  crucial  test 
of  peace  is  not  hkely  to  be  shown. 


142 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


Aguinaldo  obtained  his  importance  among  the 
Philippinos  from  the  claim  that  he  was  the  accred- 
ited agent  whom  the  United  States  was  at  the 
outset  willing  to  meet  in  the  establishment  of  a 
government  for  the  Archipelago.  This  mistake 
has  been  proven,  but  so  far  his  people  have  ral- 
lied around  him  in  the  blind  hope  to  found  a 
government.  In  the  sober  judgment  of  disin- 
terested lawmakers,  the  Tagals,  whom  Aguinaldo 
represents,  form  but  a small  portion  of  the  in- 
habitants, and  it  would  seem  a worse  fate  than 
Spanish  rule  to  yield  the  islands  up  to  the 
dictation  of  this  young,  ambitious  adventurer. 
Should  this  same  Aguinaldo  be  placed  in  con- 
trol of  affairs,  it  is  not  improbable  that  within 
a few  months  abler  men  would  dispute  with 
him  for  a supremacy,  and  soon  or  late  the 
Philippines  would  be  embroiled  in  continual  dis- 
sensions and  revolutions.  He  shows  his  dread 
of  this  by  the  continual  jealousy  he  displays  of 
his  associates. 

Brigadier-General  Elwell  S.  Otis  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  the  American  forces,  which 
were  increased  to  twenty  thousand  men,  and 
preparations  were  begun  to  bring  about  peace 


GENERAL  AUGUSTI. 


AMEEICA  IN  THE  OEIENT. 


143 


as  soon  as  possible,  by  diplomatic  means  if  possi- 
ble ; if  not,  by  armed  troops. 

In  December,  1898,  General  Otis  appointed  a 
commission  of  three  conservative  men,  Gen.  R.  P. 
Hughes,  provost-marshal  of  Manila,  Col.  E.  H. 
Crowder,  jndge-advocate  general.  Col.  J.  F.  Smith, 
of  the  First  California  Regiment,  to  meet  a simi- 
lar number  of  representatives  selected  by  General 
Ag-ninaldo  to  confer  in  regard  to  an  amicable  set- 
tlement  of  the  unpleasant  situation  in  the  Phil- 
ippines. This  commission  was  in  session  until 
the  last  days  of  January  without  coming  to  any 
agreement.  The  Philippines  seemed  to  have  no 
settled  policy,  and  their  only  term  was  absolute 
independence  for  the  islands,  with  protection 
from  the  United  States,  which  should  have  no 
control  in  pubhc  affairs.  The  representatives  of 
the  insurgent  leader  refused  to  acknowledge  the 
unfairness  of  such  a proposition,  and  refused  all 
overtures  offered  by  the  Americans. 

This  perverse  action  came  from  a complete 
misunderstanding  of  the  real  situation.  It  would 
seem  that,  however  sincere  and  patriotic  Aguin- 
aldo’s  motives  had  been  at  the  outset,  he  was 
now  actuated  by  the  blindest  sort  of  an  ambition 


144 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


to  place  himself  at  the  head  of  another  revolu- 
tion rather  than  yield  in  the  least  to  American 
dictation.  He  had  fired  his  countrymen  with 
the  idea  that  nothing  would  be  gained  by  ex- 
changing Spanish  rule  for  that  of  the  new  power 
in  the  Far  East.  He  discounted  their  fighting 
qualities  so  far  as  to  declare  that  they  could 
whip  them  as  easily  as  their  ancient  enemy. 

The  conflict  between  the  Americans  and  the 
insurgents  was  opened  by  a shot  fired  on  the 
evening  of  February  4, 1899,  by  a sentry  named 
Grayson,  belonging  to  a Nebraska  regiment. 
General  Otis  had  given  an  order  not  to  allow  a 
Philippino  to  pass  the  lines  after  nightfall,  and 
this  order  had  been  confirmed  by  Aguinaldo. 
Thus  the  Philippino  who  met  this  death  by  this 
shot  in  trjdng  to  pass  the  sentinel  knew  the  risk 
he  was  taking.  Firing  all  along  the  line,  from 
Tondo  on  the  north  to  Malate  on  the  south,  was 
begun  within  half  an  hour. 

Thrown  at  first  upon  the  defensive,  the  Ameri- 
cans the  following  day  assumed  the  aggressive, 
and  on  the  7th  had  driven  the  insurgents  from 
their  trenches,  thus  gaining  possession  of  all  the 
suburbs  of  Manila.  During  the  three  days  of 


GENERAL  OTIS. 


AMERICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


145 


almost  intermittent  fighting,  the  Philippines  had 
fully  two  thousand  men  killed,  while  the  slain 
on  the  American  side  were  four  officers  and  fifty- 
two  soldiers,  with  eight  ofiicers  and  two  hundred 
and  seven  men  wounded.  The  force  of  the  first 
numbered  twenty  thousand ; that  of  the  Ameri- 
cans thirteen  thousand.  The  great  loss  of  the 
insurgents  was  cine  to  the  fact  that  they  had  not 
yet  learned  the  difference  between  Spanish  and 
American  means  and  methods  of  fighting,  and 
they  stubbornly  stood  their  ground  until  so  hard 
pressed  they  had  to  retreat.  They  learned  a 
lesson  they  have  not  forgotten,  and  since  they 
have  retreated  early  enough  in  the  fray  to  escape 
with  a smaller  list  of  the  dead.  Thus  far  this 
has  been  the  greatest  battle  of  the  war,  and 
while  the  Americans  fired  the  first  shot,  the  Phil- 
ippines were  really  responsible  for  it.  No  doubt 
Aguinaldo  was  planning  to  attack  the  city  di- 
rectly in  the  hope  of  winning  a victory  before 
the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Spain 
had  been  perfected,  but  the  overconfidence  and 
impetuosity  of  his  followers,  who  believed  it  an 
easy  matter  to  outdo  their  new  adversary,  pre- 
cipitated the  fight. 


146 


THE  PEABL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


The  day  following  the  opening  of  hostilities, 
Agninaldo  issued  a stirring  appeal  to  his  coun- 
trymen to  flock  to  liis  standard,  and  declaring 
in  intent,  if  not  words,  that  he  meant  war. 

The  battle  of  Calcoocan,  in  which  the  navy 
took  an  important  part,  occurred  on  the  10th, 
resulting  for  the  Americans  in  establishing  a 
complete  cordon  of  more  than  thirty-five  miles 
in  length  around  Manila. 

General  Otis  cabled  on  the  12th,  “ If  regular 
troops  en  route  were  here,  could  probably  end 
war  or  all  determined  opposition  in  twenty 
days.”  But  his  forces  were  inadequate  to  main- 
tain sufficient  protection  for  the  city,  and  send 
out  expeditions  to  follow  up  the  advantages 
won. 

The  insurgents  improved  the  comparative  in- 
activity of  the  American  army  for  a wliile  by 
keeping  up  a guerilla  warfare.  On  the  15th  of 
February  an  order  was  secretly  issued  from  Ma- 
lolos  to  assassinate  every  foreigner  in  Manila, 
but  the  design  was  discovered  in  season  and  the 
infamous  scheme  never  tried.  Seven  days  later 
the  rebels  made  an  attempt  to  burn  the  city,  but 
through  a miscarriage  of  this  desperate  plan  only 


GUOUl’  OF  1>SU1IGKNT  OFFICERS. 


AMERICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


147 


Tondon,  the  suburb  inhabited  by  the  Phihppinos, 
suffered.  This  wanton  act  cost  the  homes  of 
over  a thousand  of  their  countrymen,  and  the 
loss  of  property  to  the  amount  of  a hundred 
thousand  dollars.  Some  fighting  took  place  at 
this  time,  and  immediately  General  Otis  issued 
his  famous  order  which  forbade  any  person  with- 
out a passport  to  enter  the  town  after  dark. 
This  proved  effectual. 

General  Lawton  arrived  at  Manila  March  10th 
with  reinforcements,  and  on  the  13th  Wheaton’s 
flying  column  was  sent  to  the  Pasig.  Other  ex- 
peditions into  the  interior  followed  until  well 
into  the  month  of  August,  when  the  wet  sea- 
son had  fairly  set  in  and  further  progress  was 
checked.  The  insurgents  were  routed  on  every 
hand,  but  Aguinaldo  always  managed  to  rally 
his  forces  at  some  more  remote  place,  and  make 
another  stand.  He  had  changed  his  capital  to 
suit  his  convenience,  Bacoor  having  been  his 
first  seat  of  so-called  government,  and  when  he 
found  that  too  uncomfortable,  he  moved  to 
Malolos.  General  McArthur’s  division  of  troops 
soon  pressing  him  too  hard  for  his  safety,  he 
again  shifted  his  base.  The  Americans  now 


148 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


held  the  territory  as  far  north  as  San  Isidro, 
on  the  east  to  Santa  Cruz  and  Longes,  and  to 
the  south  as  far  as  Perez  das  Marinas,  on  the 
west  to  the  bay. 

So  far  Luzon  has  been  the  battle-ground  of 
the  insurgents,  both  against  Spain  and  the 
United  States.  The  inhabitants  of  the  islands 
to  the  south  have  been  more  disposed  to  friendli- 
ness, or,  at  least,  indifferent  to  the  change  in 
ruling  powers.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  emis- 
saries of  Aguinaldo  misrepresenting  the  true  sit- 
uation to  them  and  coaxing  or  coercing  the 
people  into  disputing  their  sovereignty,  it  is 
cpiite  safe  to  say  that  the  Americans  would 
have  met  with  little,  if  any,  opposition.  As  it 
is,  the  better  class  of  Philippino  or  Visayans  in 
the  southern  groups  are  in  sympathy  with  the 
establishment  of  a republican  government.  The 
contest  in  Luzon  over,  the  brunt  of  the  fighting 
will  be  done. 

Iloilo  was  taken  on  the  11th  of  February  by  a 
land  and  sea  force  under  General  Miller.  Since 
then  there  have  been  several  skirmishes  with  the 
insurgents  allied  with  the  lawless  tribes  of  the 
interior,  in  which  the  natives  have  suffered  severe 


■m- 


\ 


A’ 


AMERICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


149 


losses,  thougli  a few  wounded  comprise  tlie  cas- 
ualties on  tlie  American  side.  A part  of  the 
town  was  burned  by  the  insurgents,  but  it  is 
being  rebuilt  with  better  bouses  than  before. 
General  E,.  P.  Hughes  has  been  appointed  gov- 
ernor-general of  the  Visayan  province,  with  bis 
headquarters  at  Iloilo. 

So  far  no  appearance  of  a disturbance  in  the 
Palawan  island  has  been  apparent,  and  none  is 
looked  for  from  the  present  indication  of  the 
situation. 

An  agreement  has  been  reached  with  the  Mos- 

o 

lems  of  the  Sulu  group,  whereby  they  are  to  ac- 
knowledge allegiance  to  the  United  States,  but  be 
allowed  to  govern  themselves  as  heretofore.  This 
assures  peace  for  the  present,  if  not  for  all  time. 

On  the  whole,  the  situation  is  very  hopeful, 
both  for  the  interest  of  the  colony  and  the  United 
States.  With  Aguinaldo  removed  from  active 
campaigning,  the  war  would  undoubtedly  end  in 
a few  weeks.  That  be  can  bold  out  much  longer, 
vutb  the  reinforcements  being  sent  to  the  Ameri- 
can forces  and  the  determination  on  the  part  of 
the  leaders  to  bring  the  whole  unpleasant  affair 
to  a speedy  termination,  seems  improbable. 


150  THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 

The  Philippinos  have  now  obtained  arms  such 
as  are  used  by  American  troops,  with  a few  anti- 
quated cannon.  But  their  national  weapon  is 
the  hola,  or  native  knife,  used  in  peace  and  war, 
the  one  weapon  above  all  others  with  which  they 
gained  such  advantage  as  they  did  with  the 
Spanish.  It  has  no  regulation  size  or  shape. 
The  most  common  type  used  in  warfare  is  be- 
tween two  and  three  feet  in  length,  including 
the  handle,  and  has  a wide,  thick  blade  edged 
like  a guillotine.  When  wielded  by  a frantic 
Philippine  in  the  heat  of  battle,  it  is  a formidable 
instrument  of  death,  which  is  capable  of  cutting 
a human  head  clear  from  its  seat  at  a single 
blow,  split  the  body  from  shoulder  to  hip,  or 
cleave  the  skull  in  twain.  At  the  call  to  charge, 
these  native  troops  discard  all  other  weapons  and 
spring  to  the  wild  attack  hand  to  hand,  wielding 
the  bola  with  a terrible  effect. 

On  April  4,  1899,  the  war  between  Spain  and 
the  United  States  was  formally  and  officially 
ended  by  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  peace. 
By  one  of  the  provisions  of.  this  the  latter  coun- 
try was  to  pay  twenty  million  dollars  as  indem- 
nity for  the  Philippines,  and  more  active  measures 


AMERICA  IN  THE  ORIENT. 


151 


than  before  were  begun  to  take  possession  of  tbe 
islands.  Tbe  land  forces  bad  now  readied  twenty- 
two  tbonsand  men,  while  tbe  army  bill  passed 
on  tbe  1st  of  March  gave  tbe  President  power 
to  call  for  thirty-five  tbonsand  men. 

Tbe  scene  of  action  has  been  practically  re- 
moved from  tbe  naval  to  tbe  land  force.  Tbe 
splendid  achievements  of  tbe  former  have  cov- 
ered it  with  glory,  and  its  gallant  cliief.  Admiral 
Dewey,  has  been  received  at  home,  after  a con- 
tinnons  stay  at  Memila  of  thirteen  months,  with 
such  honours  as  have  been  showered  upon  few 
men. 

A Philippine  commission,  consisting  of  Dr. 
Jacob  G.  Scburman,  Prof.  Dean  C.  Worcester, 
Hon.  Charles  Denby,  Admiral  George  Dewey, 
and  Gen.  E.  S.  Otis,  held  their  first  meeting  at 
^Manila  on  tbe  4tb  of  April,  1899,  and  issued  a 
proclamation  setting  forth  tbe  intentions  of  tbe 
United  States  government.  This  was  answered 
by  Agumaldo  on  tbe  28tb  by  asking  for  a truce 
and  close  of  hostilities.  General  Otis  demanded 
full  surrender,  when  tbe  Philippine  commission 
was  recalled  by  Aguinaldo,  to  be  followed  by 
others.  Still,  nothing  satisfactory  could  be  ob- 


152 


THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


tained  from  them,  and  the  Americans  despaired 
of  reaching  any  peaceful  settlement. 

Doubtless  the  American  commission  will  make 
a report  at  no  distant  day  which  will  throw  con- 
siderable light  on  the  situation.  As  it  is,  its 
president,  Doctor  Schurman,  has  given  to  the 
public  some  interesting  facts  concerning  the 
people  of  the  islands,  in  which  he  points  out 
the  fact  that  the  population  is  made  up  of  many 
races.  “ Over  sixty  different  languages  are 
spoken  in  the  Archipelago,  and,  though  the 
majority  of  the  tribes  are  small,  there  are  at  least 
a dozen  each  having  over  a quarter  of  a million 
members.  The  languages  of  these  people  are  as 
distinct  from  one  another  as  French  and  Spanish 
or  Italian,  so  that  the  speech  of  any  one  tribe  is 
unintelligible  to  its  neighbours.”  He  also  shows 
that  there  are  various  degrees  of  so-called  civil- 
isation and  Christianity,  which  will  require  a long 
time  of  the  inspiration  of  American  civilisa- 
tion ” to  maintain  its  sovereignty.  If  the  bur- 
den is  heavier  than  was  anticipated,  it  cannot 
well  be  laid  aside. 


THE  END. 


Date  Due 

' 

FORM  335  45M  10-41 

919.14  B882P  457094 

Bro^vne 

7~?earl  of  the  Orient. 

DATE 

tSSUED  TO 

919.14 


B882P 


457394 


